Little Daisy
by wanderinggypsyfeet
Summary: Everyone has a plan- Julie Taylor wants to avoid trouble in a town that judges her, Lyla Garrity wants to marry Jason Street, Jason wants to win a state championship, national championship, and Superbowl, Tim Riggins wants to have Texas Forever, and Rae Brooks wants to go home. Except it doesn't work that way.
1. Dillon, Texas

"Whoa. Who's the new girl?" Tim asks Smash, turning his head to watch as she strides past him.

"What new girl?" Smash asks, looking around in confusion.

"That one." Tim says, pulling Smash aside and pointing the girl out. She's at her locker, pulling out books. She's normal height, wearing flip-flops, a tee shirt, and work out shorts. She stands out from all the perfectly polished girls in their dresses, skirts, and heels. She's tan, but the kind one gets from being outside, not from a machine. Her long blonde hair is pulled up in a ponytail and is wavy, almost fizzy. She looks annoyed.

"I ain't ever seen her before." Smash appraises.

"That's cause she's new, dumbass." Tim informs him, rolling his eyes. Smash grins, rolls his shoulders, and fairly struts over to her locker. She moves it, then notices him leaning against the wall, smirking. She gives him a once over with an indifferent face then stares at him.

"Can I help you?" She asks blandly. Tim snickers and she leans past Smash, face still unimpressed to see Tim. "What about you, Pocahontas? Can you see me from behind those bad 80's bangs?" She asks coldly. He instantly stops snickering and straightens up. Satisfied, she turns her attention back to Smash. "Now what do you want?" She demands.

"Well, we just figured since you're new and all, you'd need some guidance." Smash stutters slightly, thrown off his game by her cold reaction. She smiles, but the humor doesn't reach her eyes.

"Aw, y'all are so concerned for the damsel in distress." She says, Texan accent exaggerated, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Please." She scoffs, reverting back to her own accent and slamming her locker. "My elementary school was bigger than this shit hole. I think I can find my way around hokey pokey Texas." With that she spins on her heel and stomps off, ponytail swishing. Smash gives Tim a shocked look. Tim tries to stifle his laughter.

"Fuck." He mutters, slamming the hood of his truck down. It's hot and the truck must've overheated again. He knows he has to replace the radiator but that hadn't ranked higher than beer on his priorities last week, leaving him in his currant situation.

"Yeah, fuck is a good word, cause you're fucked." A voice says, behind him. He glances over his shoulder, pissed. The new girl from this morning is standing a ways behind him, arms folded.

"Well thanks for the vote of faith." He says sarcastically.

"Hard to give that when you don't have faith in much of anything." She says quietly and he eyes her, unsure of her meaning. "C'mon, I'll give you a ride home." She offers, waving him over.

"How do you know where I live?" He questions, surprised.

"Please, like I could miss it, with all your damn signs letting me know exactly who you are and what you do. Tim Riggins, fullback, number 33, on the Panthers, the pride of Dillon." She quotes, sounding sarcastic.

"You live by me?" He asks, confused. She sighs and uncrosses her arms, checking her watch peevishly.

"Listen, say yes to my offer now and I'll take you home even though you smell like disgusting boy sweat and booze." She offers him, ignoring the question. "Turn me down and you can walk home in 100 degree weather." He deliberates for a second then grabs his bag and keys. She doesn't smile, just turns and leads him to a small but clean car.

"How'd you know who I am?" He asks, climbing in. She gives a humorless laugh, starting the car.

"Oh my god, there's Tim. When do y'all think he's gonna break up with Tyra? I don't know, cause I heard from Allie that Emma told her that he hooked up with Cali last week, but I don't even care! Gawd, look at dem arms." She mocks, her over the top Texan accent back. "This town acts like there's nothing better to talk about than where a football player puts his penis." She mutters.

"Football is everything in this town." He informs her, intrigued by her lack of interest towards football players.

"What? Really? And here I thought my dad had dragged me down here for the education I was gonna get." She says, feigning surprise.

"What's your name?" He asks, after a pause of silence.

"You might as well just call me Rae." She says shortly.

"I'm Tim." He says, after an awkward pause.

"I know your name, you dumbass." She says, giving him a look. "Were you even listening this entire time?"

"Yes." He says defensively. She rolls her eyes. "What year are you?" He asks, just trying to make any sort of conversation at this point.

"Junior." She mutters darkly.

"If we're the same age, how come you aren't in any of my classes?" He realizes that he's only ever seen her in the hallways.

"Because I'm in the senior classes. At my old school, I was gonna be in college classes this year. And you guys don't even have a community college that I can get my generals done at." She grumbles.

"You're in senior classes?" He asks, awed, unable to move past that. She shoots him a look.

"Yeah. Advanced Calc, Advanced English Lit, Biology, Modern History of America, those classes." She lists off. He vaguely remembers seeing those on a form for classes.

"So you're smart." He guesses.

"And you're dumb." She deadpans. "No offense." He stares at her. She glances at him, then sighs and rolls her eyes, throwing her hands up. "What, like you're insulted? You're a football player living on the wrong side of the tracks who has a broken truck, a track record of sleeping with girls, and an empty flask in your backpack. Don't try and tell me that I'm not right." She spits. They sit in silence for nearly the rest of the car ride.

"Doesn't mean I'm dumb." He finally mutters. She pulls to a stop in front of his house. He climbs out and bends down in front of her window, meaning to thank her for the ride.

"Of course you're dumb. You're from Texas." She says, patting his cheek then speeding off before he can even respond. He watches her car disappear into a driveway, furious.


	2. Rivalry Week

He doesn't see her again for a while, not really, except for in the hallways. With that first game, Jason's terrible injury, and his problems with Lyla; Rae, her shitty attitude and issues with Texas fade to the back of his mind. It isn't until Rivalry Week that she pops back up.

He's sitting at the party, more than a couple beers in, watching as half naked rally girls dance with third string kids. He looks up and sees Coach's daughter Julie looking around in mild disgust. Rae is behind her, disinterested. When a kids heaves, she sidesteps the puke easily. Julie isn't as lucky and disappears.

"Toss me a beer." He orders of a freshman near the cooler. Rae reaches into the cooler before the kid can and produces a beer, lobbing it to him. Then she grabs one of her own and takes a long drink. He watches her contemplatively and when she finishes it, she reaches down and grabs another beer.

"Because I know you'll need it soon enough." She says, setting it next to him and walking away. He looks at the beer for a long moment then cracks it open and downs it.

He sees her at the pep rally, standing next to Julie and looking supremely annoyed at everything. His eyes quickly bounce to Lyla and her short little skirt but the sense of guilt overwhelms him. He looks back to Rae and almost starts laughing when he sees that she's flicking pieces of dirt off the bleachers and towards the cheerleaders. She looks up and catches his eye. Her mouth twitches into a knowing smile and she leans back.

It's the Sunday after the game. He's sitting in the back of his truck when crunching gravel alerts him to the fact that another car is pulling up. He turns, only to spit in disgust when he realizes it's Rae's car parking next to him.

"Is that how you boys greet a lady in Texas?' She demands, climbing out and folding her arms.

"You think Texas is dumb, so why do I gotta treat you like a lady?" He sasses, pointedly unfriendly.

"Ooh, good point Riggins. Maybe you're not so dumb after all." She says, undeterred, climbing into the truck bed.

"What are you doing out here?" He asks, not bothering to kick his beer cans to the side to make room for her.

"Same idea as you. Wanted to shoot at anything and everything." She reveals, pulling a .22 out of its carrying case.

"You shoot?" He asks, surprised.

"Of course I can and I bet it's better than you." She mutters, lining up her shot then firing. One of the tin cans he had placed in the field falls from the ledge. She smirks and lowers the gun.

"Where'd you learn to shoot?" He demands, staring at the gun.

"Same place I learned to crawl, walk, run, fish, hunt, and survive. Northern Minnesota." She states, a faraway look in her eye.

"No wonder you sound funny." He mutters. She gives him an affronted look and kicks an empty beer can at him.

"I'm damn proud of my accent. I don't sound like you backwards hicks and I never want to." She vows fiercely.

"If all you're gonna do is insult Texas, why are you in the bed of my truck?" He points out, getting angrier by the second.

"I wanted to tell you good game. I also wanna ask you questions about this place and I'm not gonna go to the cheer brigade or the Barbie dolls or any of the jocks who wanna know if my 'pretty little ass has ever felt the touch of a strong Texan man'." She reveals, stealing a beer and drinking some. He snickers at the last part and takes a swig of beer.

"So you came down to me." He says slowly, surprised that she turned to him. He is still fairly certain that she hates him.

"And so I came down to you." She repeats, toasting the field and chugging the rest of the beer.

"Well whatca wanna know?" He asks, reclining against the cab.

"Are you guys really ranked as the number one team by EPSN?" She asks, with narrowed eyes.

"You bet your ass we are." He says proudly.

"Do football players get a free ride around here just because they're football players?" She fires off. He hesitates and she rolls her eyes. "That's a yes. Is it true that the Jason kid is never gonna walk again?" He clenches his fist, crushing the can in hand. She notices.

"I sure hope not." He says, through gritted teeth. She watches him.

"He was your best friend, wasn't he?" She asks softly.

"He is my best friend." He corrects her.

"Then why are you sleeping with his girlfriend?" She wonders aloud. His head snaps up and he stares at her. "I'm observant." She says, by way of explanation. Then she hops out of the truck. "It really was a good game. And I don't even like football." She compliments then climbs in her car and leaves.

A couple days later, Tim nudges Matt in the hall.

"What do you know about her?" He asks quietly, nodding towards Rae. Matt's forehead wrinkles in confusion.

"Uh, well she's new." He states, scratching his head. "Uh, she's from Minnesota, maybe? Oh, her name's Maisie Brooks. She dances. I remember seeing her at Julie's recital." He says. Tim gives him a sharp look.

"I thought her name was Rae." He says. Matt shrugs.

"On the paper it said Maisie. She had a solo." He insists, before hurrying off to class. Tim debates it for a second then chases after Rae, catching her arm and spinning her around.

"What?" She demands, wrenching her arm from his grasp in annoyance that he's keeping her from class.

"You're a liar. You said your name was Rae. It's Maisie." He accuses her, without preamble. She stares up at him defiantly.

"You haven't earned the right to call me that. You can call me Rae or don't call me anything." She hisses furiously, smacking his chest then storming off to class. He's left in a trail of her dust, confused.


	3. Homecoming Week

He doesn't put much thought into her outburst, not with his adventure with Lyla and Jason out to the lake weighing so heavily on his mind. When Lyla insists they end things, he agrees. He sees Rae at school and he feels the anger boil up and he's not sure if it's at her, Lyla, or himself.

And then it's homecoming week and he's out running one morning, trying to keep himself busy so his hands don't reach for a bottle of something or another. He's got his headphones in, so it's sheer instinct when he feels someone running alongside him. He glances over and is surprised to see Rae keeping pace with him, her own headphones in. He reaches over and yanks one out.

"What are you doing?" He demands, still jogging.

"Running?" She suggests sarcastically. Her breathing is calm and steady, not ragged like his.

"Why are you running with me?" He spells out for her, annoyed at her calm attitude and effortless form.

"Hmmm, lets see. Rae running alone, probably gonna get raped." She contemplates. "Rae running with Tim, whoa, and look at how that probability drops!" She says, with fake surprise.

"You wouldn't get attacked in Dillon." He claims.

"Tell that to the Castor kid in the hospital. And didn't your teammate do that?" She points out and he skids to a stop. She jogs a couple feet then stops and spins, realizing he's stopped.

"You know, you talk a lot of shit for a girl who doesn't use her real name and acts like this is the worst place to live." He accuses, pissed. She's watching him, aware that he's actually upset.

"I'm not gonna say sorry." She says quietly. He opens his mouth but she cuts him off. "But I know I come off like a bitch, because I am one. I did not want to come here. My dad dragged my ass here, screaming and kicking, from Minnesota. I've got some pent up anger issues, ok? Maybe you can relate to that." She says, not breaking eye contact. Sighing, he walks to catch up with her and they walk together, catching their breath in the heat.

"I don't have a dad. Mine walked out." He divulges, before he can help himself. She looks up at him, a funny expression on her face.

"I'd rather have a dad that walked out than a dad who drags his kids across the country to escape his grief." She says quietly. Tim looks down at her, wondering what kind of grief she's escaping. Her mouth is a tight line and her eyes are struggling not to tear up. Sensing that she'd only lash out if he keeps pushing, he changes the subject.

"So, are you going to go to the homecoming game?" He asks. She laughs her little humorless laugh.

"Why, you want me to wear your jersey? Paint a little '33' on my cheek? Have a good time with you after like all those rally girls?" She says sarcastically and he flushes red.

"That's not what I meant." He says hotly. She looks up at him, amused that she got such a reaction from him.

"I know. I was teasing, Riggins. Julie invited me. I think she feels like since she's the coach's daughter, it's her job to take in the social outcasts like me." She says softly, biting her lip.

"You, uh, know her from dance, right?" He stutters, rubbing the back of his head. She grins up at him, an actual smile.

"You're not as dumb as you look. How'd you know I danced?" She asks curiously. He chuckles; glad she's not angry.

"Matt, actually. I guess he went to the recital cause he has a thing for coach's daughter." He reveals. She laughs and he's surprised at how pretty it is. How pretty she is when she's relaxed.

"That's a recipe for disaster, trust me." She says, eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, the kid might be a hell of a QB when he wants to be, but he's got nothing with the ladies." He says, grinning himself.

"And what about you, Tim Riggins? Do you got it all with the ladies?" She asks and he opens his mouth, unsure of what's going to come out. She reaches up and closes it. "Don't tell me. I like you better that way." She says, grinning mischievously. Her hand moves to his cheek. "Thanks for the walk, Tim Riggins." With a jolt, he realizes they're in front of her house. "Good luck on your game. See if you can find me in the stands." She says softly, then jogs up the sidewalk and her porch. He stares after her, mouth open, mind a jumble.

He doesn't remember her request until the fourth quarter. Smash is on the sidelines and he has a mountain of work ahead of him. In the brief moments before the offense has to go back on the field, he looks up, scanning the crowd. By some miracle, he spots her, surrounded on all sides by the many men of the town. Julie is next to her, eyeing the scoreboard anxiously. Rae sees his face turned towards the crowd. She grins and raises her hand with the fingers crossed. He grins then sprints out onto the field after his team.

She finds him at Tyra's party, oddly enough. He's sitting on the hood of his truck, watching the party broodingly.

"Shouldn't the new kid be the one on the outskirts of the party, not the star of the game?" She asks, and he can't help the way his eyes travel up her long, tan legs, tiny jean shorts, a crop top just barely teasing her bellybutton, and a necklace with an elephant on it, of all things. However, his gaze lingers longest on the full solo cup in her hand.

"Not feeling the whole party scene." He mutters, looking at the dust. She crawls onto the hood, pulling her knees to her chest.

"You gave up drinking." She comments. He gives her a look. "Observant, remember? I notice the shit I'm not suppose to." She says gloomily.

"Well, yeah. I'm sober." He says, not looking at her.

"So was it for little Ms. perfect head cheerleader? Or for the baby stripper hosting this thing?" She asks and he gives her a sharp look.

"For football." He says flatly.

"Well, it certainly paid off tonight. You owned that field." She compliments, but he just nods. "You know what your problem is Tim Riggins?" She asks thoughtfully. His shoulders go rigid. "You don't have the right kind of girl." He relaxes, looking at her sideways.

"How so?" He asks, actually curious as to where this is going to go.

"Prissy princess Lyla is too good for you." She says, lying back on the hood, looking at the stars. "She wants you to fit into her perfect little plan and when you don't, she can use you and discard you in the blink of an eye. She's ruthless." He shakes his head.

"Don't call her names." He says lowly. Rae continues, either unaware of his anger or she's simply fearless.

"And that Tyra is a slut. You'll just get in a cycle with her. It's the white trash cycle and oh boy is it vicious." She laughs, tossing her cup aside as she finishes it in one large gulp.

"You calling me white trash?" He demands, angry. She sits up and scoots closer to him, to his surprise. Most people back off at his anger.

"No, I'm saying she is. And she'll drag you right into it. What you need is a girl who wants to get the hell out of this place and take you with. One who doesn't demand that you be sober and cut your hair for her. One who doesn't sleep with other guys behind your back. One who can drink just as much as you, but only wants to go home with you at the end of the night. You need loyalty and love." She whispers, an inch from his face. Then she hops down. "But you have the rally girl bimbos, so hey, what do I know?" She asks cheerfully, walking off.

"Hey, where are you going?" He yells after her.

"Julie is talking to Matt. I'm gonna take a shot for every time he looks like a deer in headlights." She yells over her shoulder. He watches her go then reclines on the hood, thinking about what she said.


	4. Beatdown

He sees her again at the grocery store, but to his surprise, she's not alone. A teenaged boy, most likely only 13 or 14 tags alongside her, pulling candy and other things into their cart, while she scolds him to put them back.

"Rae." He says loudly, letting Billy disappear down the next aisle, still fighting on the phone. She turns and spots him.

"Hey Tim." She says softly.

"Who's he?" The boy demands, leaning on the cart and nearly tipping it over. Rae glares at him.

"Tim Riggins, who the hell are you?" Tim responds in kind. Rae gives him a furious look.

"Tim, this is my little brother Carden. Car, go get some soup." She orders. When he doesn't move, just keeps glaring at Tim, Rae kicks his shin. "Now!" He stomps off and she gives him a pissed look.

"He seems like a nice kid." He says, laughing. She grabs his collar, pulling him down to her level.

"Don't you ever fucking talk like that to my little brother or I swear to god I will end you. Next time don't even look at him. Understood?" She hisses. He looks down at her, unflinching. She lets him go and shakes her head in disgust.

She disappears and Tim follows Billy to the register. When he sees Tyra, he can hear Rae saying 'white trash' in his head, but that's mostly why he goes with Tyra, just trying to drown Rae's words out.

"Tim." She calls, in the halls. "Tim!" She yells, when he keeps walking. She chases after him and catches his arm. "Tim!" She insists, trying to pull him aside and failing miserably.

"What do you want, Maisie?" He spits, rounding on her. She recoils like she's been hit.

"I came to say sorry for what I said at the store the other day but- what happened to your eye?" Her tone switches instantly from accusing him to concern for him in the blink of an eye.

"Nothing," He mutters, trying to push past her, but she firmly stands in his way, unyielding.

"No, Tim, who hit you?" She demands, grabbing his chin and twisting it so she can see it better. He bats her arm away.

"Nobody so let it go." He orders her, not looking at her. She drops her hand but doesn't let him scoot by her.

"Well, I wanted to say sorry for what I said in the store. Carden has been having a shitty time fitting in here and I'm a bit protective of him." She explains quietly, still inspecting his eye.

"He's lucky to have a big sister like you." He says automatically, thinking of his own fight with him brother not that long ago.

"Yeah, tell him that. Let me go to the nurse so we can get ice on that." She coaxes, putting a hand on his arm.

"Why?" He asks, staring down at her. "It's not your problem so just forget about it, ok?" She removes her hand and stares up at him, eyes narrowed.

"Sorry for trying to make it mine by actually caring. Silly me." She says coolly, then folds her arms and walks away. He sighs and gingerly touches his eye, winching as he walks to class.

Tim sits in his truck for a long while, thinking long and hard about what has just happened- his own teammates attacking his truck as revenge for what he did to Jason. And he deserves it. Gingerly, he climbs out, sweeping aside broken glass. He's surveying the damage when another car parks on the side of the street. He stares into the darkness, expecting another teammate with a bat. Instead, Rae walks across the street and whistles.

"They must be pretty pissed at you." She says, walking around, admiring their handiwork. He stays silent, watching her. "I guess breaking up this towns golden couple is a pretty extreme offense."

"What do you want Rae?" He asks tiredly.

"I see five guys walking down the street with baseball bats and crowbars, you have a black eye from Jason, and rumors are flying about Lyla. I came to make sure you are still breathing." She says honestly, standing in front of him. "And now I'm offering you a ride to school tomorrow." She says softly. He just nods, kicking glass around in the driveway. "I'll be here 45 minutes before school starts." She informs him. His head snaps up.

"Why that early?" He demands, trying to remember the last time he made it to school on time, let alone early.

"I have to take Carden to the middle school. See you then!" She waves and is gone. Tim rubs his face, then goes to get a broom.

He stumbles outside when he hears her honking. He squints at the bright sunlight then slouches into the car and slides low in the seat.

"Seatbelt." She orders, not even putting the car in drive.

"Who are you, my mother?" He grumbles, pulling it on.

"She sure likes to act like one." Carden pipes up from the backseat.

"Then give me back that lunch I made you, smartass." She threatens. Carden wisely keeps his mouth shut. After a long silence, Tim decides to try to make amends with him.

"So you play football?" He asks, unsure of any other topic. Carden makes a noise of amusement.

"Yeah, I used to. But I don't really like it." He reveals. Tim twists around to give him a shocked face.

"What else is there to like?" He demands.

"Carden made the A pee-wee team when he was 11." Rae says proudly. Carden ducks his head, blushing at her praise. "Littlest kid playing on that team by at least three inches and thirty pounds. Youngest one in the whole district, playing against 13 year olds."

"Pee-wee what?" Tim asks, confused.

"Hockey." Carden says shortly. "But this place doesn't have hockey, so I'm never gonna be an A bantam. And even if I did, this place would probably call me the Cancer Kid and say I only got my spot out of pity." He spits. Rae shakes her head, looking at him sternly in the rear view mirror.

"Carden, I'm allowed to be bitter and hate this place. You can start over here and make friends. At least try today, please." She requests.

"Fat chance." He mutters, looking out the window. "I'm gonna move back up north with you when you go to college."

"And what are we gonna do about dad then, huh? Shoot him?" She points out. "He'll notice if you're gone." He snorts.

"Yeah, like he notices when you steal the .22 and sneak out of the house?" Carden asks sarcastically. Tim glances at Rae. Her mouth is tight and her hands are clenched on the steering wheel. There is silence in the car until she pulls up to the middle school.

"Have a good day. Don't swear at the teachers today. Make at least one friend. Don't forget your math homework is in the green folder." She reminds him, as he climbs out.

"Have a good day. Don't swear at the cheerleaders. Make one friend who isn't some beat up jock. Don't forget your English is in the pink folder." He sasses back, slamming the door.

"Watch your mouth! Be good!" She yells out the window as he walks into the school. She sighs and runs a hand through her hair.

"He must be a handful." Tim comments, watching as she leans forward, resting her forehead on the steering wheel.

"He's my little brother. I have to love him." She says tightly.

"Brothers don't have to love each other." He tells her, thoughts still on his own brother.

"Yeah, well, if I don't love him no one will." She says and he knows better than to keep trying to force it out of her. They ride the rest of the way to the high school in silence. They pull into the parking lot and he grabs her shoulder, halting her from getting out.

"Thanks for the ride." He says honestly. She smiles slightly and for the first time he gets the sense that there's someone under her hard shell that actually cares about people other than her brother.

"Anytime." She says softly then they both climb out and go their separate ways to classes.

Julie sits down next to her at lunch.

"You're coming with me to Gatling." She states. Rae eyes her, amused, taking another bite of her soggy salad.

"Why would I travel that far for a game I don't care about?" She asks, making a face and forcing it down.

"Because I'm not going alone to be interrogated by my parents about my date with Matt and having you there takes some of the pressure off of me." Julie explains dramatically, as if it should be obvious. She avoids the salad completely and starts munching on an apple.

"I can't leave Car home alone, you know my dad's not around to feed him or something." Rae protests.

"Even better. With the two of you, my parents will hardly remember I'm there." Julie says, delighted. "Besides, I need to talk to someone about that date who doesn't view the football team as either gods or the scum of the earth." She says in a hushed whisper. Rae chokes back a snort, nodding in agreement. "So you'll come?" She asks, pleadingly.

"I mean, I'll ask Car if he's ok with-" She starts, but Julie's squeal of happiness cuts her off. She hugs Rae tightly.

"My house, at 2. You can ride with me and my mom." She orders then begins eating. Other girls fill in the table, chattering. Rae shakes her head, wondering what she got herself into.


	5. Gatling

The ride to Gatling is filled with Julie and her mom cheerfully fighting about school, dance, boys, and chores around the house. A couple of times Mrs. Taylor or Julie will throw questions to Rae or Carden, but for the most part the siblings sit in the backseat, watching rural Texas roll by.

In the hotel, as everyone lugs their bags around, Rae briefly spots Tim through the crowd. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the sight of her, then the crowd shifts and he's gone. They get to the stadium and stand, watching as the boys start fighting. The refs instantly start breaking them up.

"Too bad in hockey they just let us fight." Carden mutters lowly and Rae elbows him sharply in the ribs, scouting out Tim's jersey.

The entire game, both she and Julie flinch as hits are handed out left and right. But it isn't till Tim's hit for the safety that Rae's insides twist with worry. She reaches down, taking Julie's hand and squeezing it. They listen to the other girls mock Lyla and as her father rushes to her side.

"I hate this town." Rae mutters, shaking her head in pity. She may not agree with what Lyla did, but no one deserves that.

"What's going on?" Julie asks her.

"I'll explain tonight." Rae promises, watching in disbelief as Tim gets up and jogs back onto the field. "I thought he was hurt. Why's your dad putting him back out there if he's hurt?" She demands of Julie, who's watching open-mouthed, seemingly just as confused.

"I don't know." She says honestly. Rae watches, still hand-in-hand with Julie, nervous. Even Carden is glued to the field. When she sees Tim hit the biggest kid on the field, she's not watching Smash or his miracle run. She's watching and breathing a sigh of relief that Tim gets up.

But in the end, the cheering and excitement win out and she smiles, cheering and clapping. She follows Julie to the field, watching in surprise and amusement as Matt makes a beeline for Julie then kisses her full on the lips. Julie practically sprints back to her, a shocked look on her face.

"We've got a lot to talk about." Rae says, amused. Julie nods, speechless. Rae looks up and sees Tim watching her. She turns around, half expecting Lyla to be behind her. But Tim strides straight to her.

"Why are you here?" He demands gruffly, apparently unaware of the blood and bruises.

"Oh, one of these days you'll sweet talk me into wearing that jersey of yours, Tim Riggins." She says cheekily. He just stares at her, until she squirms. "Alright, Julie wanted me to come with so she could talk to me about Matt. Are you ok? Those hits look like they hurt." She says softly. He shakes his head and walks away, for once leaving her confused.

"-And then he just started singing to her. Singing, to get her to come out! I've never seen any guy do that, let alone a football player." Julie rants. They're sitting outside in the hall, Julie venting about Matt and her parents. Carden is a ways down the hall, shooting a mini puck at the wall.

"It's pretty sweet of a guy to do that. And you said his dad's in Iraq?" Rae asks and Julie nods.

"Yeah, I heard dad telling mom that he's the man of the house. And he was so sweet, Rae. I mean, he had been all tough earlier, doing the whole 'I'm QB 1' trying to get us tickets, but once he got around his grandma, he was totally different. So sweet." She gushes.

"And what about him kissing you tonight?" Rae says, giving Julie a sly look. She instantly goes red.

"He tasted like sweat." She reveals, giggling.

"They usually do, after a football game." Rae says, amused. Julie puts her head in her hands.

"I want him to do it again." She reveals, her voice slightly muffled. Rae grins and shakes her head, laughing.

"You like him, you like him." She sings, pushing Julie over playfully. She doesn't bother to sit back up, just laughs.

"I know!" She says, shaking her head. "My dad is probably gonna kill Matt. He's probably going to kill me. What am I gonna do?" They're laughing when suddenly Carden stands up.

"What do you want?" He asks loudly. Julie and Rae both look at him then swivel their heads. Tim is standing at the end of the hallway, watching them silently. Julie, as if pulled, stands up.

"C'mon Car, let's give your sister a second. Come show me how to work the TV." She coaxes. Warily, Carden follows her back into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Rae asks softly, standing. Tim towers over her. He smells like aftershave and beer. She knows that more than likely the team has been celebrating their win, but she has no idea how Tim has found her.

"I want you to tell me about you. No lies." He orders, not breaking eye contact. Rae can't help but shrink back into the wall.

"Why?" She asks.

"Because I need to stop fucking thinking about Lyla and Tyra and Jason and everything." He says shortly. She notices the tension in his shoulders and gestures for him to sit. He does and she slides behind him, hands massaging his shoulders gently. He doesn't flinch away, so she starts talking.

"I'm 17. Old for my grade. I've danced and ran my entire life. Carden is 12. I grew up in Northern Minnesota." She starts, carefully working out the knots in his back, mindful of bruises.

"Why'd you come here?" He asks. She sighs and briefly rests her head on the back of his, smelling his shampoo unintentionally.

"When I was 14, my mom got breast cancer. And it went away. And it came back. And went away. And the last time it came, she went with it. The doctors did everything they could but she died last spring. The whole summer my dad was crazy. Kept saying that he had to outrun her ghost. I think he found Dillon because it's somewhere that has no memories of her. So he packed us up and tore me away from everything. My friends. My home. My school and teachers. My teams. He tore me away from my mother's grave. And that's how I came to Dillon." She finishes quietly.

"And what about your dad?" He asks, surprised at how nice her touch is. She laughs bitterly, hands briefly tightening on his shoulders.

"Oh, he's a drunk construction worker. Says he'll work in the oil fields. Forgets he's got two kids that need food and running water. The day he rises up and remembers us will be when Hell freezes over." She says angrily.

"My dad was a drunk too." He tells her, feeling like he owes her a part of him now. "He's in Corpus Christi. I haven't seen him in two years." She just rubs his back. They sit in silence for a long time.

"You played a hell of a game." She says quietly. He just nods, standing. She stays seated, looking up at him.

"I'm glad you were there to watch." He says quietly, surprised at his admission. She smiles slightly.

"Maybe one day you'll play so good it'll give me no choice but to like football." She says, teasingly.

"Maybe one day." He says quietly then walks away. She goes back into the room, steps carefully over a sleeping Carden on the floor, and crawls into bed with Julie, who is still wide awake.

"What did Tim Riggins want with you?" Julie whispers, pressing her cold feet on Rae's legs.

"Sure as hell not to kiss me like Matt kissed you." Rae whispers back, effectively turning the conversation back to Julie and her problems. When she finally drifts off to a fitful sleep, her dreams contain Tim Riggins, looking at her, but not saying a word.


	6. Midnight Talks

"You're out of your league, Williams." Tim says in the locker room, as Smash goes on about the new girl he met.

"Yeah, and what about that white girl you been riding to school with Riggins? Ain't she new?" Smash points out. Tim shakes his head, listening to Smash boast. When coach catches them commenting about Julie, his stomach fills with dread. Practice won't be fun today.

He sprints up and down the field, every ounce of his body protesting the work. No one is a friend to Matt at the moment. At the end, he walks through the parking lot, pouring sweat. Rae is waiting for him, arms folded.

"Do I get rides home now too?" He asks mockingly, lugging his stuff towards her little car.

"If you ask nicely." She says, fake sweetly, rolling her eyes and opening the back door for him.

"What's up?" He asks, tossing his stuff in the backseat and walking around to the passenger side.

"It's Carden." She reveals, climbing in. Tim is silent, waiting for her to explain. "He's never gone this long without being in a sport and being physical and active before. He's getting cagey and it's driving me crazy. He doesn't like you, but he tolerates you, which is more than anyone else in this town can say. I was wondering if you could, uh…" She hesitates and he's still silent, waiting for her. "Come over. Throw the football with him for a little bit. Just get him outside for five minutes." She begs, it all spilling out in a rush.

"I'm not good with kids." He says uncertainly, thinking of all the times he had been dragged to kid football games, usually way past drunk. That had always been Jason's sector of experience.

"And he's not good with guys. You'll be good for each other. Please." She pleads. After a pause, he nods. Smiling, Rae pulls out of the parking lot. They mostly drive in silence. She pulls into her driveway, just a couple houses away from his own. She pushes the door open without announcing herself.

"What now Mais?" Carden groans, on the couch, watching TV.

"I brought you a surprise." She says, moving aside to reveal Tim. Carden doesn't react, just looks unimpressed. Unsure of what to do, Tim gives him an awkward wave. "Go outside. Throw the ball with him for fifteen minutes and I won't bug you about homework until after supper." She offers. Carden debates it and sighs heavily, getting up.

"And you let me have your scoop of ice cream." He negotiates, narrowing his eyes and watching Tim warily.

"Fine, get fat." She says, indifferently. Carden hesitates for a second then grabs a football and leads Tim outside. Rae curls up in a lawn chair with her nose in a book, only peeking up to watch. For a couple minutes, they just throw in silence. Then Tim clears his throat.

"Uh, your wrist is a little bent when you throw. If you straighten that out, your spiral will be cleaner." He says, demonstrating. Rae peers over the arm of the chair. She isn't even pretending to look at her book anymore.

"Like this?" Carden asks, trying it.

"Yeah. See, cleaner." Tim says, impressed.

"How did you block that big kid from Gatling?" Carden asks curiously. "Back home, coach always said I was too little to be good at any type of blocking." He reveals, making a face. Tim tosses the ball aside to demonstrate, and a little smug smile crosses Rae's face.

For supper, they don't have much; just some chips, sandwiches, and fruit, but Rae makes Tim stay and eat with them. He doesn't comment on the mismatched chairs or the heavily dented table. He just watches Rae and Carden pick on each other, wondering if he and Billy had ever been the same way.

Rae is in bed, reading, when she hears the smashing of glass. She perks up, listening through her open window. When another glass shatters, she crawls out bed and out the window, following the noise to Tim's backyard. She easily hops the low fence. Tim is downing bottles of beer and then throwing them at the side of the pool house, breaking them into thousand of pieces.

"Rough night, huh?" She asks. Tim spins, bottle upraised in a throwing position above his head.

"You're better at catching footballs than you are at throwing bottles." She observes and he sighs.

"Why the fuck are you always around?" He demands.

"Aww, if you keep talking like that Tim Riggins, I might get the idea that you don't like me." She says sarcastically, picking up an empty bottle herself and giving it a little heft.

"I don't like you." He states flatly.

"Oh, I know you don't." Rae agrees, undeterred. "But watch this." She whips the bottle and it bursts against the wall. "Don't throw it like football. Whip it like a baseball." She explains. Reluctantly, he tries it. To his annoyance, they shatter far easier that way. "So why are you throwing bottles? I'm the one that's stuck hundreds of miles away from anyone I even remotely like." She says curiously, sitting and opening a bottle without bothering to ask.

"At least your best friend will talk to you." He mutters in defeat, sitting next to her and reaching for his own bottle.

"I haven't seen my best friend in over three months and likely won't see her for another two years. Next." She says cheerfully.

"I ruined Lyla's life." He says flatly. She grunts in amusement and takes a long swig while he glares at her.

"And what are you going to do about it?" She asks him, staring at him. "You people down here are horrible and cruel. You gossip and snip at each other. It's toxic and terrible and no one deserves what Lyla is getting. But it takes two to have sex and she was the one with the boyfriend."

"Hey, don't talk-" When he begins to protest, she holds up a hand.

"I'm not saying what they're doing is right, because if we weren't in this dreadful town, she wouldn't be treated like this, but I'm saying you need to get over trying to help her or Jason. What you did was wrong, but they'll put it behind them soon enough. Until then, throwing beer bottles at the wall and keeping me up, however fun it may be is actually unproductive. Get some sleep and don't be hung over in front of Carden tomorrow morning." With that she pats his head and leaves, taking his beer with her.

"Well, my truck's fixed, so I don't need a ride!" He yells back. He receives no answer from the darkness.


	7. Homework Table

"I went to Lyla's cheer thing." Tim says, bursting into their house on Sunday, mid-morning.

"Hey Tim." Rae says slowly, sitting at the table with Carden, who looks delighted that the interruption might mean a break from his math homework. "Why are you uh, you know, in my house?"

"I went, I went with the team but I had to see her and I had to make sure she's ok and I can't stop thinking about it cause she didn't even look at me, but she only went cause I told her too because she loves to cheer and none of those stupid girls should stop her from it." He vents, ignoring her question. Rae stares at him open mouthed. She's never heard him say so much in one go before. "FUCK!" He yells, hands on his head.

"You get to handle this, I'm gonna go shoot." Carden says, grabbing his stick and disappearing out the back door.

"What the hell?" Rae demands, forcing him to sit down. Tim just puts his head on the table. "Why are you in my kitchen?" She repeats.

"Because you made it better last time!" He roars, standing up and pacing. Rae takes a step back. "Do it again!" He orders.

"What last time?" Rae asks, folding her arms and nodding towards the chair. With a pained expression, he sits again.

"At… At the hotel. You made me forget it for a bit. And… The other night. With the… the bottles." He stutters, agitated. Rae sits down across from him.

"What happened?" She asks quietly. He explains his feelings for Lyla, his visit to her, and how during the cheer competition she had looked to Jason, not him. Rae listens carefully then sighs and shakes her head.

"So when are you going to forget her?" She asks pointedly, when he finishes and stops to take a breath.

"What?" He asks dumbly, staring at her.

"Lyla. She doesn't love you. She probably never will, even if her and Jason end it for good. She was stupid and came to you in a hard moment. But don't you deserve better?" She asks and he blinks, not understanding. She gives a long-suffering sigh. "Remember when I was drunk and I told you that you deserved a girl who loves you? You're not ever going to find that in her, not in this shit hole of a town." Tim stands, furious. "Sit down! I'm not done!" Rae yells, annoyed. He doesn't sit but he doesn't walk away. "Find a girl who isn't looking for a pretty little boy to give her a pretty little life. You're rough and tumble. She's never going to tumble with you. That sucks. Move on!" She yells.

"You're a bitch." He spits. Rae grins, her scary smile that is no humor and all malicious intent.

"Yeah, but you came to me to yell at you, so don't think that I don't know that you actually like me, Tim Riggins." She says, not scared of him in the slightest. Tim is silent, mulling it over. Carden crashes back in, glaring at Tim.

"You yelling at my sister?" He demands, wielding the stick. Tim looks at him with a raised eyebrow then shakes his head.

"Na, she was yelling at me." He says quietly. Carden looks at Rae for confirmation and her amused look gives it to him.

"Yeah, she does that." Carden reassures him, relaxing.

"Yeah, I do, and if you don't sit and start doing your math, I'll start yelling at you." She informs him. With a groan, Carden sits, whining. Quietly, Tim makes for the door. Rae looks up and catches his eye. She smiles slightly and waves. He waves back and sneaks out.

Rae opens her locker, noticing Tim and Mrs. Taylor at his locker, talking. Frowning, she pauses from putting her books in so she can hear.

"It's bad for the world." Mrs. Taylor says, and Tim ducks his head, chuckling. "That's not funny Tim! That is not funny." She says sternly. "So you know what? I'm making it my personal responsibility to make sure that you don't get any more free passes from your teachers. From here on in, you go sink or you swim, based on you. Based on your work. You get me?" She demands. Tim looks shocked.

"We are two wins away from playoffs Mrs. Taylor." He says lowly, his face suddenly serious.

"I appreciate that." She says, clearly refusing to budge.

"But the timing of this couldn't be worse." He protests, as she repeats herself.

"Well, I'm sorry." She says softly.

"I don't pass, I don't play." Tim says flatly.

"Well then I think we better get you to pass." Mrs. Taylor says, unyielding. Tim looks at her then looks away. She pats his shoulder and walks away. Tim shakes his head, hands clenched into fists. Carefully Rae closes her locker and hoists her backup onto her shoulder. With a plan in her head, she squirms between him and the lockers. He looks down at her, unblinking.

"My house. After practice. If you show up drunk I'll kick your ass from here to Minnesota and back. Bring your school books." She orders, patting his cheek. She walks off to class and he sighs, resigning himself to that fact that he'll be joining Carden at the homework table.


	8. Yard Work

"Rae!" He yells in the hallway. She turns, looking up at him. "I uh… Can you uh… Come with me." He finally spits out. Rae gives him a wary look, but follows without questioning it. He leads her to Mrs. Taylor's office. "Uh, Mrs. Taylor?" He says, knocking on the side of the doorframe.

"Come in Tim." She says. Tim glances back at Rae then pulls her into the small guidance office.

"This is Rae Brooks. She's gonna, uh…" He looks at her unsurely. She sighs and rolls her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure Mrs. Taylor knows who I am." She informs him. Mrs. Taylor smiles warmly at Rae.

"What can I do for you two?" She asks, looking between them.

"I want her to tutor me." Tim blurts out. Rae turns to look at him and Mrs. Taylor's eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"Is this because she's a pretty girl that will do your homework and have sex with you?" Mrs. Taylor asks bluntly. Rae bursts into laughter and Tim gapes at both of them, speechless.

"Fat chance in hell." Rae says cheerfully. "Mrs. Taylor, Riggins here lives about two doors down from me. I'm flexible and can work around football because I'm not a cheerleader or rally girl. Which also means I don't constantly strive to please him just because of his jersey number. Plus, I've already passed the classes he's taking with flying colors back in Minnesota, so that makes me the perfect candidate. And I don't want to have sex with him!" She says cheerfully. Tim is shell-shocked, not quite sure what just happened.

"If his grades don't pick up in two weeks with his own school work, I'm stepping in." Mrs. Taylor says and Rae gives her the thumbs up. Then she grabs Tim's chin and twists it so he can't avoid her eyes.

"My house. Don't bother showering from practice. We're studying and doing yard work." She orders then is off. Mrs. Taylor looks at Tim amused.

"Sure you don't want who I had in mind?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. Tim shakes his head.

"I think I'm gonna take my chances with her." He says, walking out of the office. Mrs. Taylor chuckles.

"Lord help that boy."

"Of mice and men?" Rae asks, making a face. "I hated this book."

"Then I don't gotta read it, right?" Tim asks, almost hopeful.

"No. You have to read because I read it last year and was miserable. So I'm dragging you down with me." She orders, tossing him the book. Carden, leaning on his stick, snickers.

"No." Tim says, tossing it back. Rae sets the book down and tosses him a pair of gloves.

"Start pulling." She orders, pointing to the weeds along the fence. "Or I'll go to Mrs. Taylor and tell her you don't wanna learn. And then you don't have to play." She threatens, smiling innocently. Sighing, Tim pulls on the gloves and gets on his knees in the dirt.

Fifteen minutes later, the book hits the back of his head. He picks it up and glares at her. She smiles brightly. He throws it back and she gestures for him to continue pulling. Fifteen minutes later, the book hits him again. He picks it up and glares at her even harder. She's doing math homework, blissfully unaware.

"I'm getting sick of this shit!" He yells. She doesn't even look. "Rae! I'm not reading this damn book!"

"That's fine." She calls. "There's the whole fence and my dad sure as hell isn't going to weed it. Carden, you have until Tim decides to read to keep practicing your slap shot. And start aiming for the corners, not a single goalie north of Minneapolis is going to be blown away by your speedy puck." She orders.

"Quit chirping on me." Carden bickers back, making a face and lifting the puck into the left corner.

"Chirping?" Tim asks, curious. Carden opens his mouth but Rae cuts him off with a glare.

"Oi, no talking till Tim decides to read. Keep pulling." Sighing, he throws the book back and starts pulling again. When the book flies at his head for a third time, he's expecting it. He picks it up and pulls his gloves off.

"Dude, c'mon!" Carden moans. Rae gives a small cheer.

"Stick down little man, time for fractions!" She says cheerfully. Defeated, both boys climb onto the porch. She hands them both lemonade and Carden gets down to work. Tim hovers awkwardly, not sure where to start.

"Should I uh… Read it out loud or…?" He asks, unsure.

"Ooh, read out loud to me Tim Riggins. Your voice is so deep and manly." She teases, grinning. Carden snorts. Tim gives him a dirty look then slowly starts. Rae listens, nodding in satisfaction, leaving the door open and making them supper; occasionally sticking her head out to correct Tim's pronunciation or to make sure Carden is still doing his homework. She's surprised that it doesn't actually take him that long to read through the book. They're both out on the porch, the night sky shining when he closes the book and look at her.

"He shot him." He says, surprised.

"Terrible ending to a terrible book." Rae says thoughtfully. "So what's your oral report gonna be on?" He looks at her blankly.

"Well, you tell me." He says.

"No, that's what Mrs. Taylor is trying to prevent dumbass." She chides. "But it's a book about two men with a dream that lose that dream and betray each other. Who does that sound like?" She points out. His shoulders tense. Before he can reply angrily, a door slams. Rae bolts straight up in her chair and Carden comes flying out of the back door.

"Dad's home." He informs her, eyes wild. Rae swears and darts inside the house, trying to hide the dirty dishes. Tim stands behind her, watching as a tall man lumbers into the kitchen. Instantly, Rae grabs Carden and puts him behind her, trying to provide some cover.

"Dad." She says warily. Her father is tall and has her and Carden's blonde hair and blue eyes. Except his are as bloodshot as Tim has ever seen.

"Maisie Rae, did you make me supper?" He demands, stumbling into one of the chairs.

"Dad, it's 9:30 at night. I thought you might have eaten at the bar." She says slowly, watching his every move nervously.

"So I buy the groceries and you two eat them all and save none of it for me? Fucking typical." He mutters.

"I can make you a sandwich quick." She offers and he chuckles darkly.

"I don't want shit now. And you're not the same cook as your mother." He gets up and stumbles out of the room, slamming a door to another bedroom shut. Rae relaxes and lets Carden leave the safety of her back.

"Fucking drunk." She mutters, as Carden carefully inserts a chair under the handle of the door.

"At least he'll sleep through the night." He says, shaking his head.

"Get some sleep." Rae orders, kissing his head. He nods and closes his own door. Rae turns and looks up at Tim, rubbing her arm uncomfortably. "I'm sorry you had to see that." She says. He grabs her arm to make her stop.

"Ain't anything I haven't seen before." He says softly and she shakes her head, a single tear slipping out as she bites her lip. Carefully, Tim pulls her into a hug. She clings to his shirt, crying into the sweat, shaking as sobs run through her. Tim just holds her tight, thinking about what he just saw. He realizes with a jolt just how similar he and she are.

"Think about that oral report tonight, ok?" She asks, leaning back, whipping her tears.

"Yeah, I will." He promises.

"And if you need help, come to me, not the rally girls." She orders, getting herself more composed.

"I will." He promises, grinning. She nods and pats her cheek. "If you need anything, bring him to my place." He offers, jerking his head at Carden's door. She gives a shaky laugh and nods. He pats her shoulder and leaves.


	9. Rodeo

He runs through the hallways, shoving people aside, trying to get to Rae's locker before the bell rings.

"Rae! RAE!" He yells, seeing her ponytail bobbing ahead of him. She turns, just in time to see him barreling into her. He picks her up and spins her around wildly, nearly hitting other students.

"What the…?!" She demands, pounding on his back, trying to get his attention to put her down.

"B-! B-!" He yells and she stares up at him, uncomprehending. "I got a B- on my oral report!" He explains and her face lights up in delight and she jumps up, hugging him around the neck.

"I'm so proud!" She says, squeezing him tightly. "I knew you could!" He sets her down, beaming. She grins up at him, both hands on the side of his face. "So, so, so proud." She says. He just grins, unable to help himself. "Go tell Mrs. Taylor." She orders.

"Should I?" He asks, suddenly unsure.

"Yeah." Rae softly reassures him. "And then come to my house after practice and we can start work on math." She informs him. He groans. "Oh, don't whine, you hardly did a third of my fence the other day." He shakes his head but he's smiling. "Tim, I'm proud of you." She says, quietly but fiercely. He pulls her into a tight hug, beaming. Over the top of her head, he can see Tyra watching them with a disgusted face, but he's too excited to care.

Thursday night, he's reciting the names of the presidents while pulling weeds when suddenly he stops and looks at Rae.

"It's Cleveland after Harrison, Tim, you know that." She calls, not looking up from her book. He takes off the gloves and strides onto the porch. "What's wrong?" She asks, looking up at him, concerned.

"Come to the rodeo with me." He says abruptly.

"What?" She asks, taken aback.

"Lyla's gonna be there, probably with Jason. And Tyra's gonna be there and I just need somebody to keep my mind off of them and this damn game." He says, rubbing the back of his head.

"Tim Riggins, this better not be a date." She threatens.

"I'll recite the presidents the whole time, I swear." He promises, with a crooked smile. She grins.

"Yeah, alright, we can go to the rodeo. Carden, babysit yourself for a night!" She yells. His response is another 'thump' of a ball hitting the shed wall.

Rae watches the people mill about, shrinking back into Tim's side.

"I hate Texas." She mutters, for what may be the millionth time. He's not even offended anymore; he just accepts it as part of her coping mechanism. It's almost cute at this point.

"Washington…" He says quietly. She takes a deep breath.

"Adams, Jefferson, Madison." She says, under her breath.

"Monroe." He says, pulling her into the crowd. They mainly stick to the outskirts, watching and observing. Occasionally, he'll point out a teammate or a parent that warrants notice.

Sometimes his teammates approach, wondering whom Rae is. Tim introduces her as the new girl and his neighbor. Rae is just starting to get comfortable when Tim reaches down and takes her hand. She jumps, looking up him in shock, but he's not looking at her. He's dragging her toward his coach and his wife. Dread twists her stomach.

"Hey Coach." Tim says, sticking out his hand. Coach Taylor shakes it, with a small smile.

"Tim, my wife was just telling me about your oral report and math quiz. Sounds like you're doing just fine son." He says, clapping his back.

"Well, that's uh, why I came over coach. I haven't been doing it alone." He says, shuffling to the side and pulling Rae in front of his coach. "This is Rae, she's my tutor."

"Rae, it's good to see you again. How's your brother?" Mr. Taylor asks warmly, shaking her hand.

"He's alright." Rae says, nodding.

"Is he gonna go out for football anytime soon?" He asks curiously. Rae shakes her head.

"No, I doubt he will. Football isn't really his thing." She says, biting her lip like she does when she's nervous.

"But he's good at it." Tim protests and Rae gives him a surprised look. "He's pretty little, but he's quick. He's got quick feet and soft hands." He says and Mr. Taylor nods thoughtfully.

"Well next time you come over to supper with Julie, bring him with. I'd love to throw the ball around with him. Not very often do we get fresh blood in Dillon." He says, smiling at her.

"I guess I can bring it up to him and see if he wants to." Rae says softly, not making eye contact.

"Keep up the good work Rae. I've seen a lot of improvement in Tim." Mrs. Taylor says, touching her arm. Rae just nods then waves goodbye and yanks Tim away, back to an alley between booths.

"What's wrong?" He asks, noticing in alarm how pale her face is.

"I don't fit in here. I'm the town drunk's daughter. I hate the pitying looks I get." She says, putting her face in her hands.

"This is the south, they pity everybody." Tim reassures her.

"Yeah, fine, but do it behind my back." Rae mutters, shaking her head. "Ok, I'm being dumb." She takes a deep couple breathes then smiles up at him. "Am I good at covering my feelings like a good southern woman yet?" She asks, only a hint of bitterness in her tone. Tim chuckles.

"Yeah, you're doing just fine." He agrees, pulling her back into the crowd. They're still wandering when the announcer comes on, with the new that Buckley won, and to her surprise, Tim picks her up and crushes her to his chest, cheering. She grins and cheers with him.


	10. Old History

The next week at school, Rae notices a shift in attitude towards her. The rally girls don't seem to like her, the cheerleaders snicker, and Tyra is downright murderous. With a sinking feeling, she realizes she's getting noticed. She sighs and closes her eyes, resting her head on her locker. Someone grabs her shoulder and she jumps, startled. Tim gives her a strange look.

"Jesus Tim you scared me." She accuses, putting a hand over her heart.

"I got a B on that history quiz." He says proudly and she smiles, patting his chest while he beams.

"You're not just Texas dumb anymore." She teases him and he grins, ignoring the slight insult.

"Come to my game on Friday." He blurts out. She looks at him oddly.

"Of course, I'm going with Julie." She reminds him.

"No, no I mean like… Come to watch me." He tries to explain, going red in the cheeks and neck.

"Of course I'll watch you, you're kinda hard to miss." She says slowly, brow furrowed. He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated and amused at the time at how oblivious she is.

"No, I want you to come for me. Wear my jersey, paint a little 33 on your check." He says, remembering her insult from long ago. Her eyes are wide in surprise when she remembers the last part of the insult.

"Ok." Is all she can get out. He grins and walks her to class.

Before the game, she's at Julie's, getting ready.

"Uh, Julie?" She asks hesitantly.

"Yeah?" Julie asks, from inside her closet.

"Do you have any of that face paint? Like the kind the cheerleaders use?" She asks. Julie turns and grins.

"You wanna paint Tim Riggins number on your cheek, don't you?" She demands. "I know you're tutoring him, because it's all the rally girls can talk about." Rae goes pink.

"He asked me to." She reveals and Julie's eyes go wide.

"So the rally girls weren't just making stuff up." She says in wonder.

"I'm just his tutor, that's all!" She insists, but Julie grins knowingly.

"I'll draw the 33 on you if you draw the 7 on me." She offers, grinning. Rae grabs the brush.

At the game, Rae and Julie stand side by side, watching as Matt and Tim battle on the field. Rae wonders if Tim can see her and the 33.

Tim glances up at the stands for the billionth time, finding Rae easily. The girl is turned, whispering something in Julie's ear. A big 33 is painted on her cheek. He grins inside his helmet. When Matt calls the play and he realizes what the plan is, he looks up at Rae one more time. Then he just runs, straight to the end zone. When Tim scores, Rae is screaming, jumping, hugging and squeezing Julie.

When the game ends, the crowd floods the field, ecstatic. Rae watches as Matt and Julie meet, smiling. Then suddenly she's picked up, causing her to scream slightly in surprise. When she's put down and spun around, Tim pulls off his helmet, beaming down at her.

"You're wearing my number." He says.

"Yeah, I thought if the rally girls are going to talk… I might as well let them. It's not like I like Texas anyways." She says, grinning up at him. He just picks her up again, laughing. They spend the entire after game party together, her tucked into his side, him laughing and accepting congratulations from everyone.

"You ok?" He whispers in her ear. She nods, looking up at him.

"I've got the number of the star of the game painted on my face and his arm around me. I'm fine." She says, grinning.

"Am I the star of the game?" He asks her cheekily and she laughs quietly, rolling her eyes.

"Don't act humble, Tim Riggins, it's not you." She chides. He laughs and pulls her closer. It's the first time that she's ever seen him actually happy.

Later that night, he drives her home and stops in her driveway.

"You really did play an amazing game." She compliments softly.

"I've never been so happy that about who was wearing my number." He admits. She grins, shaking her head.

"I haven't gotten such dirty looks since I told middle school girls to stop smoking in the bathroom at hockey games." She says, laughing. He doesn't fully understand it, but he laughs with her. "Goodnight Tim Riggins." She says over her shoulder, opening her door.

"Rae, wait!" He says hastily, climbing out of the truck. She turns, looking at him curiously.

"Why… Why do you want people to call you Rae?" He finally asks the question that has been on his mind for weeks now. She sighs, walking up to him, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"My mom, when she was sick, she had this song she would always sing, whenever the chemo was hurting the worst. 'Maisie, Maisie, my little daisy, soaking up the sunshine. Maisie, Maisie, my little daisy, always my ray of sunshine'." She sings. "She only ever sang that to me when the chemo got so bad she wouldn't be able to move from the pain. She said it made her feel better. And on the day that she died, that was the last thing I said to her. I sang her that song and she just… was gone. I'm her Maisie and I don't want to be anyone else's." She says, fighting back tears. Tim crushes her into a hug. She doesn't sob this time, just a slight trickle of tears down her cheeks. He kisses the top of her head.

"I'm sorry." He says gently. "So, so, so sorry." He whispers into her hair. She leans back and kisses his cheek, surprising him.

"See you tomorrow for math, superstar." She says, hurrying into her house. Stunned, Tim climbs into his truck and drives home.

 **AN:** Please read, review, follow, favorite, all the stuff. Let me know your thoughts! A special thanks to Naguabo for always leaving me questions and thoughts- I hope you love reading this as much as I look forward to reading your reviews.


	11. Rally Girls

Days pass, of nothing but tutoring and studying, without mention of the breakdown in the driveway. Rae is half convinced that he is avoiding talking to her about personal things until one day he comes into the house, grabs her lemonade and storms outside. Carden raises his eyebrows and looks at her. Rae throws her hands up and follows Tim.

"That was my lemonade." She says, sitting next to the empty glass.

"Had my court date today." He reveals, in his typical blunt attitude.

"And how was that?" She asks evenly, taking it in stride.

"My dad has to sign the ticket. I haven't seen him in two years, Rae. Both of our moms are gone, which sucks. But at least your dad is around to sign your shit." He says darkly.

"When he's sobered up enough to lift a pen." Carden calls from inside. Rae rolls her eyes.

"Ok, simple enough solution. Find your dad." She tells him.

"If it was that simple, would I have fucking done that already?" He points out, annoyed.

"No, because you don't do shit till the last possible second. Go find your dad and then we're working on your chemistry homework." She calls, as he walks back through the house, rubbing Carden's head.

"He's weird." Carden comments. Rae rubs her face, nodding in acknowledgement of his point. "I like him."

The next day, Rae hears the now familiar rumble of Tim's truck and looks up at Carden, who grabs his glass of milk protectively. Tim walks in and nods to Carden, who's clutching his milk.

"Rae, I'm gonna go find my dad." He announces. She raises an eyebrow.

"Thank you for the update?" She asks, nonplussed.

"Well I wanted to let you know so you don't worry." He says, flustered. She smiles, getting up and crossing the room to hug him.

"If you need anything, just call." She promises him. "And Car and I will drive to get you."

"Correction, she will drive, I will sleep in the backseat." Carden inputs. Tim shakes his head, grinning.

"Bye Rae! Bye Car!" He calls, leaving. Rae waves then drops her hand and looks at Carden in shock.

"This is gonna be a disaster." She mutters.

"It's Tim Riggins, what could go wrong?" He asks, laughing. Rae rolls her eyes and throws a pillow at him.

A couple days later, Rae takes a deep breath and knocks on Coach Taylor's doorframe. He looks up, surprised.

"Rae? Come in." He insists, waving her in.

"Uh, Coach Taylor, I uh…" She hesitates, unsure of how this is going to sound. He waits patiently. "Do you know where Tim is?" She blurts out. He's taken aback, but he does a good job of covering it. "I mean, I know he went to look for his dad, but he said it was only for a signature, and now he's been gone for a couple days and I just got worried." She rambles.

"Rae, Rae. Calm down. He's with his dad. Apparently, they're catching up." He says, making a face at the last part. Rae breathes a sigh of relief.

"Do you know when he'll be back?" She asks. He gives her an amused look, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but something tells me you'll know a hell of a lot sooner than I do." He informs her then grows stern. "And you tell him to get his ass to practice so I can kick it for missing two practices." He orders and she grins, nodding.

"I'll be sure he gets that part." She promises.

Rae wakes up to the rumble of Tim's truck. She crawls out of bed and hoists the window open, gingerly making her way out, half asleep.

"Tim?" She asks groggily, rubbing her eyes. Tim stumbles out of his truck, smelling like cheap perfume, chlorine, and booze. She sighs, catching him and guiding him to her window. After some maneuvering and shoving, she gets him through the window. He slumps against the wall and she kneels next to him.

"What happened?" She asks gently, pushing his hair back.

"He's a shitty dad. I got drunk and the rally girls stole me." He explains halfheartedly, not opening his eyes. "I just wanna sleep." He whines. She puts him on the rug in her room carefully covering him with a blanket then crawls into her own bed. She rolls over and laughs at the sight of Tim Riggins asleep on her floor.

When she wakes up, he's on his back on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

"I'm supposed to tell you coach is going to kick your ass for missing practices." She says sleepily.

"Sorry I came in here like this." He says, not looking at her.

"It's fine. I'm just surprised that you fit through the window." She mutters. He looks at her.

"You got me in through the window?" He asks, impressed, tilting his head and inspecting the window with renewed interest. She nods then pats the bed next to her.

"Tell me about your dad." She requests. Carefully, he crawls up next to her, wary about getting too close. But when they're both finally settled, out comes a torrent of emotions, about finding his dad, thinking that maybe he could come home, the bet that brought that dream crashing down, and the party.

"I don't know why I came here at the end of the night." He says quietly, still looking at the ceiling.

"Do you regret it?" She asks softly, looking up at him.

"You take better care of me than Billy." He says, giving her a crooked smile. She smiles and pats his cheek.

"Get ready for school Tim Riggins, cause coach is going to have your ass in a sling all practice, and I'm gonna too. I know you have a test about the Great Gatsby chapters coming up and I'm not letting you fail."

"So did Tim find his dad?" Julie asks listlessly at lunch.

"That's not important. You're upset about Matt and the whole 'rally girl calendar', don't lie to me." Rae says, wagging her finger at her.

"Yeah, I am." Julie says tiredly. "But my dad's the coach, so we go to the game tonight and you tell me about Tim to keep my mind off my Matt, ok?" Rae nods and pats her hand.

"Of course sweetie."

 **AN:** So I really love it when you guys leave me reviews and comments... Like it makes my heart skip a beat. So you guys should do it, cause it's a bright spot in this busy college student's life.


	12. Powder Puff

Tim stands on the field, his head spinning. His dad is here. He wishes there was a way he could tell Rae and hear her opinion. But instead he looks up and sees her, hands in front of her mouth nervously. Suddenly he raises his hand, fingers crossed, towards her. She beams and mirrors him. Then he bows his head and gets to playing his game.

At the end of the game, they storm the field, as is customary. Rae makes her way over to him, beaming.

"You almost make me like football." She teases. He grins, grabs her face, and pulls her into him, kissing her with no hesitation. It's the kind of kiss from a man who's blood is pumping full of adrenaline, who feels powerful and unstoppable. It's totally unexpected and Rae's mind goes completely blank in shock. A low whistle breaks them apart.

"Damn Timmy, I didn't think it was acceptable to kiss a girl like that in public." A man's voice teases. Rae looks at an older version of Tim, still too stunned to say anything.

"Dad, this is Rae. She's my tutor." He says proudly.

"Yeah? And what does she tutor you in?" Billy teases, chuckling.

"Hi, Mr. Riggins." Rae says, dazed.

"We'll wait for ya by the locker rooms, Timmy." He says, eyes twinkling, grabbing Billy's arm and pulling him away.

"You didn't tell me your dad was gonna be here!" She hisses once they're out of earshot, having regained most of her senses.

"I didn't know." He says, beaming.

"I'm glad you're happy. You deserve it." She says, smiling. He grins and kisses her again, the kind of hot kisses that makes her knees weak and head spin with some sort of deep desire.

"I will see you tomorrow, Rae." He says, grinning, jogging away. All Rae can do is wave.

"I'm glad that happened, cause now you can distract me from Matt by explaining why it did." Julie says from behind her. Rae just touches her lips gently, not sure what just happened. Julie glances up and sees Matt. Tears threaten in her eyes and even though her heart is still pounding, Rae wraps the younger girl in a tight hug, walking with her off the field.

"I can't study today, I have powder puff practice." Tim says, walking next to her in the halls. She jumps at his sudden appearance.

"Can you not scare me every day?" She demands, glaring. He grins, patting her head like it's a reminder that she's shorter than him.

"No. But I'll see ya when this whole thing is done, k?" With that, he's off again and Rae sighs. They still haven't talked about the kiss. She shuts her locker and sets off, trying her best not to notice how the rally girls split in two around her, then join back up, giggling.

Julie sits down at lunch the next day with a slam of her lunch tray.

"My mom's making me and Tyra play in that stupid powder puff game. She knows I hate football and everything about it. Matt chose me for powder puff and Tim chose Lyla. That's what you missed today in the sad life of Julie Taylor." She snaps. "Oh, and he chose me third."

"Who'd he choose before you?" She demands, with the right amount of outrage, but all of her thoughts are on Tim and Lyla. When schools out, she hurries to catch Tim before practice.

"Tim. Tim!" She says loudly, catching his attention. He frowns, walking over to her, glancing around.

"Rae, I told you I couldn't study, it's powder puff, but if I need help I'll come over." He says lowly. Rae holds her arms.

"Or you could ask Lyla for help. I'm sure it'd be easier, since you did pick her for your powder puff team." She accuses then storms away. He stares after her then runs a hand through his hair, unsure of what to do.

He walks into Rae's house, face cloudy.

"Oh shit." Carden says, glancing at his sister, scrambling for cover. Rae strides out from the kitchen, face equally as pissed off.

"Listen Rae, the powder puff thing is whatever. It's not a big deal at all. Lyla can play, that's all. She's done it before and her dad's taught her everything there is to know about the game. She is an asset and I want to win." He informs her, before she can kick him out.

"I don't give a shit about that Tim." Rae says flatly. "What I care about is that you kiss me like I'm the only girl you're gonna be kissing that night, then you go off and choose the girl you've slept with to play for you. Granted, you've fucked pretty much all of the rally girls, but just a little thought on your part would be nice. I meant it when I told Mrs. Taylor I wouldn't have sex with you, because I am your tutor. But god, for a couple seconds there you let me think about it." She accuses. Carden covers his ears and runs at this point.

"You thought about having sex with me?" He asks, totally sidetracked. She throws her hands up.

"I did, before I realized I clearly meant nothing to you. If I'm just your tutor, fine. But don't kiss me, not talk to me about what it meant, and then be a jackass about it." She commands.

"There's so much shit going around the team with this whole racist thing, I don't need this from you too." He tells her, peeved. She cocks her head, any light from her eyes gone.

"Funny, Tim, because I don't need you, period. Get out of my house." She orders, deadly calm. Tim does as told, slamming the door on his way out. Carden emerges from his bedroom.

"You two are pretty fun to watch fight when you're both really pissed off." He comments.

"Shut up." Rae says halfheartedly, tired.

Tim glances into the stand during the powder puff game and is surprised to see Rae, sitting with some dance girls. She watches the entire game halfheartedly, never once looking his way. At the end, he walks up to her when she's leaning against the rails of the bleachers.

"I didn't come to watch you." She says instantly. "I'm waiting for Julie so we can go to dance together."

"Well there wasn't much to watch anyways." He mutters, shaking his head. She reaches down and pulls his sunglasses off.

"I like seeing you lose. It's a new side of you." She says, trying them on. He's too amused to be offended. "And I swear I came to watch Julie, not you." She repeats firmly.

"And yet here you are." He points out. She sighs, pushing his sunglass on to the top of her head.

"Here I am." She says quietly, glancing around. Then she looks down at him. "I don't care if you pick Lyla for your team. I just hate that you kissed me and left. I don't know how you feel because you never said a word to me about it." She informs him. He runs a hand through his hair.

"I'm not good with words." He reminds her. "And this whole stuff with the team and my dad being back… I guess things just got crazy." He says helplessly. Rae shakes her head, pulling the glasses off her head and handing them back to him, mouth a thin line.

"Things got crazy, so you kissed me and it was a mistake. Got it." She says bitterly, walking away.

"Rae, wait!" He protests, jogging to catch up. He grabs her wrist and tugs her to a stop. "That's not how it is. What I meant was… Things are crazy but that doesn't mean I don't want you to stop wearing my number." He says, desperately trying to get her to understand. She looks down at him. "And I still need your help with that Gatsby final, cause you know I hated that book from start to finish." He begs quietly. She tries to hide her smile.

"Grab your books. Meet you at my house after this." She orders, biting her lip, but her eyes are twinkling.

"Rae, wait." He says, tugging on her wrist. She bends over the railing, curious. He grabs her face and kisses her, then grabs her under the armpits and pulls her over railing, making her squeal in surprise. He picks her up, laughing at her protests, carrying her towards the parking lot. Both Tyra and Lyla watch them go, both wondering what has possessed Tim Riggins to carry a giggling girl, who is neither a cheerleader nor a rally girl, home.

 **AN:** Review and give me thoughts, comments, questions, concerns, and dislikes or likes. I would love feedback!


	13. Racism in a small town

They sit around her table, snacking and laughing. She throws a chip at him when he tries to explain to her why football is the best sport.

"How can you say hockey is boring compared to football? Have you ever even seen snow?" She points out, tossing her head back in laughter.

"Once or twice, but that doesn't affect my judgment!" He protests. She just shakes her head laughing. She goes to make another point, but the door slams and they both go silent instantly. Her father walks in and Rae stands immediately, glancing at Tim nervously. Unlike the first night, he notices Tim's large frame in the kitchen. Without taking his eyes off of him, he asks low and dangerously,

"Maisie Rae who the hell is this?" Rae wrings her hands, then takes a deep breath and steels herself.

"Dad, this is Tim Riggins. He's the fullback for the Dillon Panther football team." She says, hopeful the title will mean something. Her father doesn't seem to be impressed.

"Why the fuck is he in my house so late?" He demands, finally looking at Rae. She shrinks back and Tim can't help himself. He instinctively takes a protective step towards her.

"I, uh, tutor him. So we were just reviewing for his big test tomorrow." She says carefully. Her father snorts.

"Yeah, I bet you tutor lots of boys. You little slut." He hisses, hitting the chip bag and causing it to spill across the kitchen.

"Sir, I think you need to calm down." Tim says, grabbing Rae and pulling her behind him.

"Who the fuck are you, telling me to calm down?" He spits, getting in Tim's face. "You think that just cause you're sleeping with my daughter you can tell me to calm down?" Rae looks desperately at the door, wondering if she could pull Tim out and make a run for it. But she knows Carden is in his room.

"Sir, I'm just requesting you calm down. I know you've been drinking cheap scotch and beer and some vodka. So all I'm saying is it's in all of our best interests if you would calm yourself down, go to sleep, and sleep it off. I mean no disrespect being in your house and your daughter truly is an amazing tutor." Tim says, putting his hands up. Gently, he guides her father towards his bedroom. "And I promise you I am not sleeping with her."

"If that bitch gets pregnant, it'll be the end of me." He mutters, stumbling through the doorway.

"Trust me sir that is not my intention." Tim says, trying to stifle his laughter, closing the door. He turns and looks at Rae, who is wide eyed. Without saying anything, she crosses the short distance and throws her arms around his neck.

For a long time, he just holds her, kissing her head and whispering calming words in her ear. Then she leans back and kisses him, tangling her hands in his long hair, until they're both out of breath. She leans back, looking at him.

"That was amazing." She whispers, awed, hand on his cheek, scratching his stubble gently.

"You deal with that all the time." He whispers back. She laughs weakly, chin quivering. "You're amazing for dealing with that and keeping Carden out of it and watching out for me and keeping your own grades up." He lists off, pulling her into his chest, rocking her back and forth until she calms down.

They don't talk about that night, but she notices that Tim smiles at her more often, walks her to class, and even holds her hand once in the hallway. But she sees the tension in his shoulders over the race issues on the team. So when he sits down next to her at lunch with three underclassmen trailing him like ducklings, all she can do is raise her eyebrow quizzically.

"Hi." She says slowly, looking at the underclassmen curiously when Tim says nothing and starts eating.

"Where's Julie?" He grunts. Rae sighs and the other dance girls at the table roll their eyes.

"She's sitting with Tyra, because they're best friends now and she practically forgot about us." Lois says spitefully, shaking her head.

"That's no good." Tim mutters, faking interest, shoveling food into his mouth as fast as he can.

"Who are your friends?" Rae asks, elbowing him, as the boys stare open mouthed at her. None of them have food.

"JV players I gotta babysit since Smash and the rest quit." He grumbles and Rae wisely leaves the subject at that. When he's done, he gets up and the other boys are quick to follow suit. He bends down and kisses her head. She jumps slightly. "See ya after practice." He says, walking away. Lois and the rest of the girls stare at her open-mouthed.

"I don't wanna talk about it!" Rae says hastily.

When Tim walks in after practice, the same three underclassmen are still following him.

"Oh no." Rae protests, standing up and waving her hands. "No Tim, you are not going to get any work done!" She says, folding her arms. Tim stares at her balefully then sits and pulls his chemistry book out, ignoring her previous statement. The three boys shuffle awkwardly in the kitchen, obviously uncomfortable with Rae and Carden both glaring at them.

"Uh, usually people offer us lemonade or water." One, with long hair and bad acne, says.

"Well, I'm from Minnesota so I don't give a damn about Texas rules." Rae spits and Tim snickers. "Don't laugh, this isn't funny Tim! You have two tests and this game coming up and now you've got three puppies following you around." She complains. He glances at the boys.

"Yeah, they're kinda like puppies." He agrees. Rae rolls her eyes and hits his shoulder. He refuses to look at her and she sighs, rolling her eyes at him then looking at the three boys.

"Here's a football. Go outside and throw it. Your daddy can join you when he has his elements memorized." She says, tossing them Carden's ball.

"What drill should we run?" One asks Tim, who thinks about it. Rae cuts him off with a cold look.

"If I hear a single word about chop blocks or slide runs I swear I will bury you in SAT practice problems." She threatens Tim. "And you will not see the light of day, let alone a football field for the rest of your life."

"We'll figure it out." Another boy says hastily and they scurry out of the house, Rae glaring at Tim. Carden chuckles but stops cold when Rae shoots him a look and throws his calculator at him.

"Can I have a lemonade?" Tim asks with a smirk and Rae leans over, yanking his hair and making him flinch.

Friday at school, Julie meets her at her locker. Rae glances at her then keeps shoving books in her locker. Julie shuffles around awkwardly.

"Are you still riding with me to the game?" She asks quietly.

"I don't know Jules, maybe Tyra wants to go." Rae says shortly. Julie sighs. "I mean, you two are bonded since you did hard time together." She sasses and Julie flinches at the insult.

"Rae, it wasn't like that!" She protests. Rae closes her locker and looks Julie in the eyes.

"Of course I'm coming with you to the game, I wouldn't miss it for the world. But I'm not going just for Tim. I go because you are my best friend here and basically the only friend I have in this town. Remember that the next time Tyra drags you off to a strip club and you get arrested, ok?" Rae says softly. Julie nods. Rae smiles. "I'll meet you at the bus."

"You're coming to my game tonight right?" Tim asks as they walk to class. Rae looks up and raises an eyebrow.

"Of course."

"You'll be there win or lose right?" He asks lowly and she ducks her head to hide her smile.

"No matter what. Contrary to popular belief, I don't just like you because you're a football player." She comments and he raises his eyebrows, pausing in the doorway of a classroom.

"Na, you just like me cause I'm Texas dumb." He says and she blows him a kiss, giggling.

 **AN:** Reviews? Yes, no, maybe so? I love hearing what you guys think about it!


	14. Sex Talks

"Well hey Rae, how are you?" Mrs. Taylor asks when Rae climbs into the car, Tim's sweatshirt on.

"I'm good Mrs. Taylor, how are you?" Rae asks and she smiles at her through the mirror.

"Well I'm glad you're coming with." She comments.

"She means you instead of Tyra." Julie comments and Mrs. Taylor simply slides her sunglasses down her face while Rae struggles to hide her smirk. Mrs. Taylor pulls out of the parking lot and follows the bus.

She and Julie are in the stands, hands clasped, watching the brutal game. Rae knows she doesn't understand football, but from the look on Julie and Mrs. Taylor's faces, she knows it's bad.

"This ain't right, this ain't right." Mrs. Taylor is muttering, watching with wide eyes. "I've never seen a team play so dirty." Rae watches the late tackle on Smash and squeezes Julie's hand.

"Tim… Tim…" She says quietly, watching the 33 on the field. "Don't do anything…" She flinches and closes her eyes when she sees him take off running. The crowd roars and she hears the announcer inform them of the hit and ensuing fight. When she opens her eyes, the entire team is on the field and it is complete chaos. She exchanges looks with Julie, wide eyed.

When the game is called, there is no excited rush of the field, no happy hugs from excited players. Rae fleetingly sees Tim, still in full pads, boarding the bus. She tries to catch his eye but Mrs. Taylor quickly puts an arm around Rae and Julie and ushers both of them quickly to the car, wary of the other team's fans, parents, coaches, and players.

"Well, at least we're still in the playoffs." Julie says, once they're safely in the car and headed home. Mrs. Taylor exhales and laughs.

"There's the little fighter of the night." Rae says sweetly, when Tim gets off the bus. He shakes his head and takes her aside to tell her the story of the bus getting pulled over and the sheriff talking about assault charges. She shakes her head, looking at Smash as he talks to his mom.

"I hate Texas." She repeats spitefully. "It's a big stupid state full of big stupid racist old men."

"I thought it was for me." He says lowly, mostly ignoring her rant, watching Smash as well. She looks up at him, amused.

"Well that's because you tackled that kid at least thirty if not more seconds after the whistle." She reminds him. "I may not know anything about football but I'm pretty sure that's not allowed." He just shakes his head and wraps an arm around her, leading her to their cars.

"Can I stay tonight?" Tim asks quietly, parking in her driveway. Rae draws her knees to her chest and smiles at him.

"Of course. C'mon, I'll tend your wounds, you little fighter." She teases and flinches as they walk inside. She's applying icy hot to his back when the phone rings. She answers, tucking it between her ear and shoulder. "Hello?"

"MATT ASKED ME TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND!" Julie screeches and Rae jumps, dropping the phone. She swears and picks it up as Tim snickers. Rae flicks the back of his head.

"Jules, that's great, tell me all about it."

Tim stumbles into the kitchen one night. Rae looks up from her college applications and sighs.

"You were drinking with your dad again, weren't you." She doesn't ask, just states it. He holds up a fresh $100 bill.

"We hustled um at pool." He says, grinning like a dope. "I pretended to be all bad Rae and then we won."

"Congratulations. And I see you got in a fight." She says flatly, seeing a slight bruise on his cheek. He makes a gesture for 'a little'. Sighing, she arranges him on the couch and rubs her eyes. The next morning Carden sticks his head in her room without announcing himself.

"Why's Tim on the couch?" He asks curiously.

"Long story but you have my permission to wake him up and be loud about it." She mutters, not opening her eyes. Carden grins and shuts her door. She hears him messing around it the cupboards. Tim seeks refuge in her room minutes later, hair and eyes wild.

"Your brother is absolutely crazy." He says, holding the door shut as Carden bangs pots together outside.

"When you land on my couch drunk, you get woken up rudely. It's karma." She says, snuggling back into her blankets. Tim jumps on her bed. "Tim!" She protests, trying to fight him off. He just grins, hugging her.

"It's so great to have my dad back, Rae." He says, almost dreamily. "We go out to bars and play pool. I'm actually going out drinking with my dad. It's all I've ever wanted." He rambles on about his dad while Rae listens wordlessly.

She waits until Tim is gone, watching film with the team, to head over to the Riggins house. She hesitates on the stoop then grits her teeth and raises her fist to knock. A blonde opens the door.

"Yeah?" She asks, unimpressed.

"Hi. Is Billy here?" Rae asks, as the woman looks her up and down with a disdainful curl in her lip.

"Billy, some chick's here to see you." She calls, glancing over her shoulder. A moment later Billy appears at the door and upon seeing her pushes it open and joins her on the porch.

"Hey Rae." He says in surprise. "It'll be just a second." He tells the woman, shutting the door. "What's up?"

"I'm uh… I'm here about Tim." She says awkwardly. "He's… You know, drinking again."

"Well, that's right on schedule." Bill mutters, avoiding her eyes.

"Yeah, well, Tim doesn't see anything wrong with it. He's been doing so good lately and I just… Thought maybe he'd listen to you better than he does with me." She says quietly.

"Rae, I don't know if maybe you'd noticed this with Tim, but he doesn't listen to anyone." He tells her and she looks away, biting her lip. "You can't help him." Bill says, somewhat harshly. "Look. Tim chose this situation and our dad. I've done everything I can Rae but he's made his bed and now he's gotta lie in it. He's just gonna have to live with his decision. Alright?" He asks and she shakes her head, turning and striding down the steps with a gnawing feeling in her stomach that something will go wrong.

And it does go wrong, in a spectacular fashion. He storms into her house a couple days later, slamming the door.

"That's rude." She says quietly, watching him pace back and forth, hands on top of his head.

"Coach accused my dad of taking a damn video camera." He yells and Rae sighs, rubbing her temples

"Tim." She tries, but he ignores her and keeps going.

"He's not going over to Smash's mom and asking her if she took it. He's not going to Matt's or anyone else's dad to ask them!" He rants. Carden sticks his head out to raise his eyebrows at Rae then ducks back into his room when she shakes her head quickly.

"Tim, calm down." She says, catching his arm and rubbing it gently. He pulls it away angrily.

"I thought you'd understand." He accuses, walking out the door. Rae watches him go, unsure of what she did wrong.

"Did Tim piss you off?" Julie asks, pushing the door open.

"No, I think I pissed him off, why?" Rae asks gloomily.

"Because he just drove past me and didn't even slow down, even though I'm clearly a damsel in distress." Julie says, sitting on the couch.

"He's in a terrible mood, don't take it personally." Rae says, sighing and curling up next to Julie.

"Have you two had sex?" Julie asks and Rae bolts straight up, stammering and unable to form complete sentences.

"What brought that on?" She demands, once her heart has stopped racing. Julie shrugs nonchalantly.

"I think Matt and I should have sex." Julie informs her and Rae stares at her in pure horror.

"No!" She says finally, when her voice has returned. "No, Jules! You're young! So is Matt! You're just little babies! Oh my god!" She says and Julie rolls her eyes, going to move off the couch.

"I knew you wouldn't understand." She mutters and Rae grabs her hand, pulling her back to the couch.

"Jules, I'm not judging you. I'm the last person who should do that. No, I haven't had sex with Tim and I don't think I want to, at least for a while. If you think you're ready, you are, but Jesus Christ, are you protected?" She demands and Julie exhales. Rae looks at her sternly.

"I'll buy condoms!" She insists and Rae narrows her eyes.

"You can't buy tampons in this town without someone commenting that coach's daughter's got her monthly. Condoms? Forget it." Rae points out and Julie flops over, groaning.

"Well can I borrow some from you?" She asks and Rae frowns, smacking Julie's shoulder.

"What makes you think I have condoms?" She demands and Julie makes a face. "If you're having sex, have sex. But lord if I find out it's unprotected Julie Taylor, your Matthew will not have balls." She threatens.

 **AN:** I know you guys can probably guess what I'm going to say, but review? Follow? Fav? Tell me what you love, hate, made you laugh, cry?


	15. Tim's Girl

A couple days later, Tim knocks on her door.

"Carden, go get it, I'm not in the mood." She orders, busy with her math homework. Carden gets up, pulling the door open.

"She's not in the mood." He informs Tim, who is standing in the doorway sheepishly. Carden goes to shut the door, but Tim sticks his foot in.

"Car, I know she's not, but I have to tell her something and it's pretty important." He begs. Rae sighs, getting up and walking over.

"What do you want Tim?" She asks tiredly, leaning against the doorway of the kitchen and folding her arms.

"I kicked my dad out." He states, still outside. "I found the camera and I kicked him out. I shouldn't have come here drunk and I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm sorry, ok?" He says desperately. Rae bites her lip then relents and nods for Carden to move aside and let him in. Tim rushes in and picks her up, hugging her tightly. She rubs his back gently.

"It's ok. I'm sorry. I'm sorry he left. I'm sorry he did that. It's not your fault." She whispers.

The phone rings, interrupting the TV break from homework. Rae and Carden instantly put their fingers on their noses. Tim sighs and gets up, grabbing it off of the table.

"Hello?" He asks then looks confused. "Coach? What? No, no it's Tim. Yeah, no, you have the right number, Rae's right here." He hands the phone to her, confused. "It's Coach."

"Mr. Taylor?" Rae asks, sitting up. "What's wrong? No, she's not here. She's not at Lois's? I'm sorry; I don't know anything about that. No, I'm sure she's fine. She's fine, I promise. Call me when you find her, ok? Ok, goodnight." She hangs up, staring at the phone in disbelief.

"What'd he want?" Carden asks curiously.

"Jules said she was gonna study at Lois's and never made it there." She informs them. Tim sits straight up like he's been bitten.

"Matt was talking about sex the other day." He reveals, wide eyed. Rae covers her mouth, horrified as she remembers Julie and her conversation about sex. Tim slumps into the couch. "If they're hooking up, Coach is going to kick our asses." He groans.

The next night Tim doesn't stop over and Rae doesn't think anything of it until she hears a truck in the driveway. She looks up, confused. It's not Tim's. Billy knocks on her door, looking terrified. She opens it, wondering why he looks like he's about to have a heart attack.

"Rae, you Tim's girl?" He demands. Rae splutters, unsure of what to say to that, blinking. "Well, you're sure as hell about to be. C'mon, he's in trouble." He grabs her arm and pulls her into the truck. The entire way there, Rae's stomach is in knots. Billy doesn't say much, but she knows that Tim is in a huge amount of trouble if Billy had to come get her for it.

They pull up next to one of the dive bars. Rae automatically scans the parking lot for her father's car, but what she finds is a lot worse. A ring of men has gathered around two men fighting and fear jolts through her when she recognizes Tim's long hair and jacket.

She jumps out of the truck at a full sprint, following Billy. He pulls the man off of Tim while Rae skids to a stop and kneels in front of him, effectively discouraging anyone else from hitting him. She cradles his head, too scared to cry. He blinks up at her, bloody, not recognizing her right away. She wipes his face off, trying to get him to focus on her. He grunts slightly.

"Tim." She whispers, gently helping him to his feet. "What did you do?" She murmurs, helping him into the truck. He says nothing, just leans heavily on her, getting blood on her shirt. She pushes the hair back from his face, trying to clean him up without hurting him further.

"I hate him. I hate my dad." He mutters, blood spitting from his mouth. "I hate him so much Rae."

"I know. I know." She whispers, gently stroking his face, kissing his head. Billy climbs in and shakes his head. Tim looks at him and says nothing. Billy looks at Rae, who is biting her lip.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." He mutters. Tim grunts but doesn't say anything else. He just grips onto Rae the whole ride home. They take him to his room at Billy's. She clears a spot for him on his bed, shoving clothes to the side. She cleans him up and looks down at him, unsure of what to do. Gingerly, she climbs into bed next to him and gently presses her body to his.

At school the next Monday, his face is swollen, his lip is cracked, and he looks like he's been through hell. He walks next to Rae stoically, not looking at anyone. Before classes start, she pulls him aside, brushing his hair back, mindful of bruises. He just gives a long sigh, shaking his head.

"They all know. They always do." He says, glancing over his shoulder at the chattering rally girls, all of who are staring shamelessly at him.

"That's ok." Rae reminds him. "Like it's ever bothered you before. I know this isn't the first time you've showed up at school with bruises on your face." She says with faint amusement.

"Does it bother you, that everyone looks at me like I'm some kind of bomb that just goes off?" He asks, still not looking at her. She smiles slightly, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at her.

"No, cause then at least they're not looking at me." She teases and he smiles finally. "You kick some ass tonight Tim Riggins." She says, playfully. He grabs her and kisses her, for the first time in school.

"Meet me on the field when we do." He instructs and is gone. She gently touches her lips then looks at the rally girls, who have all hushed and are watching her. She grits her teeth and heads to her class, trying her hardest to ignore their not so hushed whispers.

 **AN:** Hey, can you guys do that really cool thing where you review and then I get to read them and then I get to smile like an idiot for the rest of my day? Cause I like that.


	16. Fighting Lessons

"I didn't have sex with Matt." Julie informs her as Rae carefully applies mascara. She looks over her shoulder.

"I think it goes without saying Jules that I'm happy." Rae says, smiling. "Matt's a great kid and so are you but you are a little baby." Julie makes a face at her and Rae turns over, tossing an arm around her.

"He told me he loved me." She reveals and Rae drops the makeup she was grabbing for, open mouthed.

"Do you love him?" Rae asks and Julie shrugs.

"I said it back, but I think I just kind of panicked." She admits and Rae struggles to hold back giggles.

"It's ok to love football players." She tells her.

"Is that a confession that you love Tim Riggins?" Julie points out and Rae splutters for a response and settles for pelting Julie with shoes she finds on the floor next to her.

"Let's go to the game, Julie Taylor. You and your ridiculous questions can wait." She proclaims and Julie follows her out of the house, still laughing.

After the win and the party, the week is blissfully quiet. The affair with Lyla's dad and Tyra's mom successfully puts her and Tim out of anyone's mind, so she enjoys relative peace. But much to her surprise and mild annoyance, she finds herself almost fitting in.

People know her name, from classes. People who don't know her name know her as Tim's girl, from her place at his side at the games and parties. The dance girls actively seek her out and invite her to things or walk through the halls, gossiping around her. Even the football players nod in acknowledgement or smile her way when they see her.

She walks up Tim's driveway, seeing him playing with a small blond boy, throwing the football. She smiles in surprise, remembering his not-so-long-ago protests about not being good with kids.

"Hi, I'm Bo. Who are you?" The little boy asks cheerfully, running up to her and offering his hand. Rae glances at Tim, grinning. He tries to hide his smile with an indifferent, aloof look. She grins and raises an eyebrow, letting him know that she saw the smile.

"Hi Bo, I'm Rae." She says, shaking it.

"Are you his girlfriend?" Bo asks, looking up at her and squinting. Rae laughs and Tim goes bright pink. She shakes her head and shrugs.

"You should ask him that." She teases, throwing a grin over her shoulder at the clearly embarrassed Tim.

"He's teaching me how to throw." Bo says proudly, tossing the football up in the air and nearly missing it on the way down.

"He taught my little brother to throw." Rae tells him, sitting on the tailgate of the truck, swinging her legs.

"Where's your brother?" Bo asks curiously.

"At a friend's house." Rae reveals, causing Tim to raise his eyebrows. She nods, smiling.

"Huh. The kid made a friend." Tim says proudly. "Next thing you know he'll be going out for football."

"Whoa, don't get ahead of yourself there, mister." She warns, laughing. He raises an eyebrow and grins at her. She watches them play football, throwing and tackling, chin on her knees, just plain happy. While Bo is rambling, drinking his soda, Tim comes over and wraps Rae in his arms.

"Hi." He mutters, kissing her head.

"Remember those days you said you weren't good with kids? You are a liar, Tim Riggins." She teases. He shakes his head, kissing her, pulling her closer to him. She laughs, trying to pull away but he pulls her back, nibbling on her lip a little. She pulls back, eyes wide.

"Was that wrong?" He asks lowly, worried. She shakes her head, smiling, pulling him back to her for more.

"This is gross." Bo says, causing them to break apart, laughing.

"I'm sorry Bo, you can have him back." Rae says, pecking Tim's cheek and patting his butt to scoot him back to Bo.

"Bo! Come here for dinner!" His mom calls.

"Speaking of that, I have stuff for spaghetti if you'd like to join me, Tim Riggins." Rae says sweetly. He glances at the garage.

"Well, Billy's not home, so I can forfeit a night of chips and beer for something homemade." He teases and she leans back, surprised that he's teasing her. He grins and a slow smile covers her face.

"Ok then." She says softly, leading him to her house.

"Carden!" Tim yells, storming into the house. Rae looks up from the couch, surprised that Tim feels comfortable enough to just enter when he wants.

"Tim!" Carden yells back, from his room.

"Come here." Tim says, pushing Bo in front of him.

"Hi Bo." Rae says, waving slowly whilst giving Tim a confused look. He ignores her and impatiently waits for Carden.

"Hi Rae." Bo says, looking up at Tim, unsure of what's going on. Carden walks out of his room, rubbing his eyes.

"Who's this?" He asks, gesturing to Bo.

"This is Bo. Bo Miller. He goes to your school and I need a favor." Tim says without preamble.

"Um, hi Bo." Carden says, glancing at Rae. She shrugs and gestures for him to go with it. "Ok, what is it?" He asks curiously.

"Bo is new. I thought you could keep an eye out for him. I'm teaching him how to fight, but he might need backup." Tim says. Rae shakes her head, rubbing her temples.

"Or we could just work on the power of words and not fists." She suggests casually, tilting her head and looking up at them.

"C'mon, both of you, front yard, we're gonna work on this." Tim orders, like he never even heard Rae. Both boys excitedly follow him and Rae rolls her eyes, throwing a pillow at the closing door.

"How about ignoring the bully until the bully goes away?" She calls through the open screen of the window. When she gets no answer she stands up and walks outside, hands on hips. "Bo, what grade are you in?" She asks as Tim holds up his hands and gestures for Bo to punch them.

"4th grade." He informs her.

"That means if he ignores the bullies in 4th grade all he's going to be is a punching bag, Rae." Tim tells her and she narrows her eyes.

"And what, you were bullied?" She sasses and he looks at her over the top of Bo's head.

"No, I was the bully." He says and Rae stares at him then throws her hands up and goes to get her book.

"Jules, what's wrong?" Rae asks at lunch, watching her push her food around her tray listlessly.

"Nothing." Julie mutters, not even looking up. Rae raises an eyebrow.

"I have a younger brother missy, I know what's going on." She says sternly. Julie still doesn't look at her. "Please tell me." She coaxes.

"My parents want to move to Austin. So my dad can coach at TMU." Julie announces, finally looking at her. Rae drops her fork, looking at her.

"Julie…" She says quietly.

"I know Rae. Trust me I don't wanna leave." She says, shaking her head and biting her lip angrily.

"What about Matt?" Rae asks, not wanting to make it about her. Julie shrugs, trying not to cry.

"He doesn't know. I haven't told anyone." She tells her, miserable. Rae hugs her, unsure of what else to do.

"I think I'm in love with my tutor." Tim says, standing on the middle of the field, with Smash, Matt, and Jason. They all stare at him, shocked.

"Tim Riggins doesn't fall in love." Jason says finally, eyes not leaving his face. Tim shrugs helplessly.

"Na, Street, you ain't seen her." Smash says, the first one to recover. "She's got these long ass legs and she's a dancer, just like Matt's girl over here. And she don't take Riggins' shit."

"Ok, so what possessed you to decide you love her?" Jason asks curiously. Tim shakes his head, taking a long drink from his beer.

"If I'm not at school or practice I'm with her. She's the only reason I'm passing so I can keep playing. And she makes me… makes me feel ok with everything and myself. She's not afraid to lay my ass out or tell me that I'm wrong. She just… Makes me work." Tim says, struggling to put it in words.

"Ooh man, you fell deep." Smash says, laughing. Tim takes another swig, while Jason and Matt exchange stunned looks.

"Yeah, I know."

Rae looks up when there's a knock on the door. She opens the door and smiles slightly when she sees Tim. She can smell the beer and smoke on him but that's his smell.

"What are you doing here?" She asks quietly.

"What are you doing here?" He answers, only slightly slurred, and she raises an eyebrow, letting him in.

"I live here, friendly reminder." She says and he shakes his head.

"I meant, why aren't you at the dance?" He asks and she gives a short bark of laughter.

"Yeah, my daddy took a night off at the bar so that he can come over. Put a suit and tie on. I've got a nice expensive dress that he got me, I'm gonna curl my hair real nice, maybe even put on some heels." She says sarcastically and Tim doesn't sass back but pulls her into his chest.

"I'm sorry." He mummers into her hair.

"We both want our dads to be so much than they are, don't we?" She says softly, swaying with Tim. "We want our dads to love us and protect us and be there. And they aren't. And they never will be." She says spitefully, struggling and losing against the tears.

"Hey." He says gently, leaning back. "We protect each other." He says and she gives him a watery smile.

"Are you dancing with me, Tim Riggins?" She teases and he's silent for a long moment then kisses her head.

"You tell anyone, I'll deny it." He swears and she giggles, stretching up on her toes to kiss him.

 **AN:** To everyone who reviews, wow I adore you. To everyone else, hey, there's a thing below where you type words and things, and then I read your words and things, and then I smile and get the warm fuzzies in my heart, so write the things so I can get the warm fuzzies please?


	17. Dirt Fields

Rae is walking down the hall, thinking about her history test, when a foot appears out of nowhere and trips her. She stumbles, catching herself before falling completely. She looks around. A couple of rally girls snicker, leaning against their lockers. Rae shakes her head, trying to keep walking. One of them jogs to catch up with her and a couple more follow.

"So Rae, what's Tim Riggins like?" One taunts.

"Yeah, your expiration date is almost up, better start picking your stuff up." Another says, laughing. Rae tries to ignore them.

"Well, I mean you know Tim and how his dad is. One charity case with no daddy finds another." The last one gossips and Rae can't take it anymore. She rounds on them, fuming.

"As far as I'm concerned, not one of you has ever had Tim Riggins for more than an hour or two. And it's none of your business to be poking your nose in mine, so the next time you do, I'll punch you so hard maybe you'll actually be able to pass your remedial math classes." She spits then turns to walk away, but a boom shakes the school. All of the rally girls scream and she rolls her eyes at their insistent shrieking. Outside, the flow of students pushes her into Tim.

"Rae, are you ok?" He asks worriedly, grabbing her shoulders then pulling her with him towards the parking lot.

"A couple of rally girls decided to finally welcome me to Dillon, but I'm sensing you're more concerned about why we're being shuttled out of school." She comments, listening to teachers with bullhorns. They hear the announcement to go home and Rae bites her nails worriedly.

"I can grab Carden." He reassures her. "You go home and make sure your dad is home." She nods, then reaches up and swiftly kisses his cheek. When he finally pulls in, late in the afternoon, Carden is with him.

"Where have you two been all day?" She asks.

"Tim took me out to lunch then let me sit and watch practice." Carden informs her, throwing his book bag on the couch.

"It was on a dirt field. Felt like I was six again." Tim grumbles and Carden grins, shaking his head.

"I thought it was pretty funny, all of them running around on a field meant for kids my size." He reveals, amused.

"Well maybe you'll talk him into playing football yet." Rae teases, handing them both a serving of roast. Carden snickers, but starts grilling Tim about which position he would be best at.

"Come on, I got something to show you." Tim insists, pulling on her hand. She protests, gesturing to her homework. He steadfastly ignores her and continues to drag her out the door and to his truck.

He drives her to the outskirts of town and leads her to the middle of a dusty space. She raises an eyebrow, hands on hips, looking around in mild confusion. She looks at him and he's smiling proudly.

"What's this, Tim?"

"Our field!" He insists.

"This is where you're playing?" Rae asks, amused, looking at the makeshift field. "It reminds me of my old middle school."

"I wanted to show you all of our hard work!" He protests defensively, gesturing to the freshly painted lines and hardly seeded field.

"And it is hard work well done, Tim Riggins." She compliments sweetly, holding his face, grinning.

"You'll be here, right?" He asks, putting his hands over her own.

"If I can see anything." She says skeptically, looking at the sidelines. "Are there even going to be bleachers? Where are we gonna sit?"

"Rae." He says seriously. She looks up at him, eyes wide in innocence. "I know what those… Those rally girls say to you. And I just want you to know that…" He hesitates then it all spills out in a rush. "You're the only girl I want to see on the sidelines and the only girl I'm looking for and the only girl wearing my number and when we kick ass, I want you to be looking at me." Rae grins and kisses him, in the middle of the homemade field.

"Always, Tim Riggins." She whispers, looking up at him and smiling. He grins and tucks her under his chin.

The game is chaos from the second it starts. People are whining about seats, the other team is shocked at the field, and everyone in town seems to be mystified as to why they're playing out here. When it starts raining, she and Julie look at each other, unsure of what to do now. Mrs. Taylor looks up at both of them, her mouth a perfect little 'o'.

"Your daddy's gonna be pissed." She whispers and they all burst into laughter. The game is muddy and Rae flinches each time Tim is hit or stumbles, sliding in the wet and unstable ground. Julie looks just as concerned for Matt. At the end of the game she is miserably cold, soaked to the bones, and has ruined her pair of jeans, but she and Julie are side by side, watching Tim's block and Matt's run.

"GO GO GO!" Julie yells, jumping up and down. When they see he's in the end zone, the rain doesn't matter anymore. Tim leaves the jumping huddle to rush towards her. She runs for him, meeting him halfway.

"You're going to state!" She cheers, kissing him. He shakes his head, hugging her tightly.

"We're going to state." He corrects her then pulls her in for a long kiss. When he breaks away, she reaches down and scoops up some mud, throwing it at his face. He gapes at her, surprised. Then he gets a glob of mud of his own and lobs it at her, with far more accuracy. It hits her squarely in the chest. She looks up at him in disbelief. He stares back at her, unsure of her reaction.

"TIM!" She protests, laughing. He grins and spots Carden running for them and throws mud at him too. Soon, an all out war is being fought, kids joining in from both sides. As mud flies all around them, Tim grins down at Rae, wiping the mud off her face. She tosses her head back and laughs freely. He just shakes his head, grinning.

"What did I do to deserve you?" He asks softly. She laughs.

"As I recall, you and Smash Williams came up to my locker and tried to lay down the moves on the new girl." She reminds him playfully.

"Hey Smash!" He hollers. Smash looks at him quizzically, surrounded by adoring girls. "Thanks!" He yells, pointing down towards Rae. Smash gives him the thumbs up, somewhat confused. She laughs, putting her head in his chest, uncaring of the downpour.

The phone rings and Rae squirms out of Tim's arms, grabbing it. He groans and pauses the movie.

"What now? It's late." He grumbles, annoyed. She frowns and smacks his arm, answering it with a confused look.

"Hello?" She asks. Julie is on the other line, crying. She sits straight up. "Jules? Jules, what's wrong?" She demands.

"He took it." Julie says thickly. "He took the job in Austin and now I have to move again. I'm leaving Dillon." Rae sinks back into the couch, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Jules…" She says softly.

"I'm sorry Rae. I'm going to go tell Matt. I'll see you at school tomorrow." She says, hanging up. Rae gently puts down the phone.

"Coach Taylor accepted a job at TMU." She tells Tim, stunned. He looks at her, not comprehending what she's saying.

"What?" He demands finally, catching up. "He's just leaving us?" Rae nods, mind too busy to calm him down. He punches a pillow then pulls her into a crushing hug. She runs a hand through his hair, both of them fuming.

"How was practice?" Rae calls, from the backyard, hanging up laundry. When she gets no reply, she leans back, trying to see him in the house. "Tim?" She hears her closet door bang open and she hurries into the house. He's in her room, holding one of her old dresses.

"Wear this. To the Panther Roast. With me." He says haltingly, looking terrified. She leans against the doorframe, smiling.

"Is that a date, Tim Riggins?" She teases.

"Wear the dress and it is." He attempts to tease back, but he still looks slightly queasy. She purses her lips thoughtfully then beams.

"Of course." She agrees, kissing him. He gives a sigh of relief and drops the dress to pick her up and kiss her.

 **AN:** Thank you to everyone for the follows, favorites, reviews, and all else. It's a very bright spot in my otherwise hectic and stressful days. I've tried to be consistent with updating this story, but I likely will not get back till Monday, as this weekend is Homecoming, which means it'll pass in a orange and black blur of stress. Leave reviews for me to come back to? Love you all!


	18. Panther Roast

They sit through dinner with some of his teammates. Rae mostly listens to them talk about the team and playing Voodoo at state. Tim's hand rests of her knee, gently drawing circles with his thumb to keep reminding her that he's there. She waves slightly to Julie when she looks her way, but the young girl looks so miserable Rae's heart breaks a little for her. Matt looks just as upset.

Coach Taylor begins the roast and Rae bits her lip when Smash goes up to talk about Tim. She catches his hand and hopes she can hold him back if it hits too close to home. When he makes the Maury joke, Tim doesn't get mad, just gives her a concerned look. After the attention is drawn away to another player, he whispers in her ear.

"You still ok?" He asks worriedly. She nods and smiles at him easily.

"The past doesn't bother me." She whispers and he grins at her, his hand on her cheek.

"Rae." A soft voice says. Rae turns, seeing Lyla. She glances up at Tim, who is busy talking to Smash. After a moment of hesitation, she leaves his side and walks over to Lyla, wary.

"Hey Lyla." She says quietly, folding her arms.

"You look real nice." Lyla says sweetly and Rae tenses up, unsure if this is going to go the way of the rally girls.

"You do too." She says and Lyla gives a halfhearted smile.

"I just… I see you with Tim." She says quietly, looking at him. "And I see how good he is, with you. I haven't seen him this happy since… Before Jason's accident. And I just wanted to say… Thanks." She says.

"Look, I don't know if this is one of those Texas fake nice things-" Rae starts. Lyla opens her mouth but Rae shakes her head, cutting her off. "But thank you. It's nice to hear someone say something like that." She says. Tim ends his conversation with Smash and turns, searching out for Rae. When he spots her with Lyla, his brow furrows and he hurries over.

"Lyla." He says shortly, putting a protective arm around Rae.

"Hey Tim." She says, looking up at him in surprise. "I was just telling Rae here how nice she looks." Tim looks skeptical, but nods. "And that I see how you look at her. You two have a lovely night." She waves, disappearing.

"Did I just befriend Lyla?" Rae asks, cocking an eyebrow.

"Who cares, let's go see if the house is still standing from Carden." He says dismissively, guiding her away.

Tim walks in and tosses an envelope onto the table.

"If this is your report card, I don't think my heart can handle the pride." Rae mutters sarcastically, helping Carden with his homework.

"VIP tickets. You and him. 50 yard line." Tim says. Rae looks up at him in astonishment while Carden whoops in glee. "When we kick Voodoo's ass, you gotta be there." He says quietly, while Carden celebrates. "I want you there. I need my girl there. You can't miss the biggest game of the season. Of my life." She covers her face with her hands, grinning like an idiot.

"Tim…" She says softly, giggling.

"No, not done." He informs her, reaching into his bag and pulling out his jersey. She looks at him with wide eyes. "I mean it. Wear it." He requests and she nods, hand over her mouth. He picks her up and swings her around. "My girl." He whispers into her hair.

When she climbs into the Taylor's car, Mrs. Taylor takes one look at her concerned face for Julie and sighs.

"Julie told you about TMU." She states. Rae jumps, startled. Julie rolls her eyes and folds her arms.

"Sorry." Rae says guiltily.

"I'm not. She's my best friend, she had a right to know." Julie says shortly. Mrs. Taylor just puts the car in drive and heads for Dallas. The entire way there she and Julie fight about moving to Austin. Rae and Carden sit in the backseat, unsure of what to do but watch as countryside shifts to city. At the hotel, after supper, Tim finds her in the lobby.

"Nervous?" She comments, noticing the way his eyes are darting around the room, never settling on anything for too long.

"Trying not to be." He mutters. Rae smiles and takes his hand.

"Sweetie, this is the biggest thing you've ever done." She says quietly, pulling him to the side and sitting down with him. "It's bigger than anything Billy or your dad has ever done, that's for sure. And you should be so, so proud of yourself right now. Tomorrow, come what may, but you're going to be walking off that field a winner, Tim Riggins." She whispers fiercely.

"What if we lose?" He demands, not looking at her, staring at his hands in worry. She grabs his face.

"You still walk off that field with your head held high because goddamnit, you've done something amazing in your life. You got here. And that is something no one, not even your dad can take away from you." She says confidently. He looks down at her, then smiles slowly and pulls her into a tight hug, kissing her head. When he releases her she smiles back up at him.

"Tomorrow, I want to walk off that field with you right next to me." He says quietly. She grins. "Win or lose, hell or high water."

 **AN:** Homecoming is over, which means I have time to post again! Tell me what you like, what you like, what you hate? I like to hear it all.


	19. State Championships

Julie and Rae stand hand in hand in the huge stadium, just watching as the teams warm up. Mrs. Taylor sees the jersey on Rae's back and smiles slightly, but doesn't comment.

"Last time we do this." Julie says quietly and Rae shakes her head, squeezing her hand tightly.

"No. No, I will drive to Austin every Friday night if I have to and come get you. I don't care what your parents say. For every damn game this team plays. We have done this and are going to keep doing this every single Friday and just because you're moving doesn't make it any different." She vows defiantly. Julie just squeezes her hand back.

At halftime, she sees Tim jog off, shoulders slumped, head down, dejected. She shakes her head. She knows that this win will do something huge for Tim. He needs this; he needs to a part something bigger than himself. For the first time in a long time, she turns her head upwards and does something she hasn't done in years. She prays, to any and every deity, to turn this game around.

And it does.

She is ecstatic the entire half, lightning running through her veins, cheering even though it feels like her voice is going to give out. And even then she doesn't stop. For every hit Tim makes, every carry he has, she knows that he's looking to her. And she can't help the swelling feeling of pride inside her.

"That's my brother! That's my brother!" Carden yells, pointing to Tim. Rae can't stop smiling, watching as Carden grins, actually enjoying himself.

The final play she sees Tim and Matt nod and she grips Julie's arm. The girls hug each other tightly, watching, unable to say anything or take their eyes off of the two boys. And just like that, like it is destiny, Smash's arms outstretch, and the football is in the end zone.

The noise is so loud; Tim almost thinks he's gone deaf. His teammates surround him, faces a mix of shock and excitement. Halfway through the madness, he remembers his promise. He spins, pushing teammates aside. He makes his way through the crowd, searching, searching.

And then he finds her, standing in the crowd, staring at him, wide eyed. He looks at her, helmet in one hand. She gives him a small wave; shock the only emotion on her face. With the other hand, he crosses his fingers and raises it high. She starts laughing, with tears rolling down her face. She raises her fingers too. He gestures for her to come down and does so until she can fight through the crowd and make her way to the railing.

"I did it." He says, staring up at her, not sure what else to say, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"You did it, Tim Riggins." She says proudly, beaming, not caring that tears are streaming down her cheeks.

"C'mere." He says, gently tugging her over the railing and down to him. He holds her close, eyes shut, soaking in the moment, as thousands of people scream. He clutches Rae and she clings to him.

"You know," She says, a pleased smile on her face. "You may have just played so well I started liking football." He leans back, looking at her.

"Yeah?" He asks. She nods, trying and failing not to laugh. He kisses her, passionately.

"Be my girl." He whispers. She smirks and pulls him in for another kiss by way of answering.

 **AN:** Whoooo and there you have season one, aka the best season to ever grace our television screens. Please review friends!


	20. Summertime

"And you can grab Carden after lifting right?" Rae asks over her shoulder, digging in her locker for her folder.

"Yes ma'am. And you'll be done with work at 9?" He asks, reaching over her shoulder and pulling it out for her. She gives him a grateful smile.

"I will." She confirms. He grins.

"Good. My house for tacos when you're done. Ill save you some." He promises. She raises an eyebrow.

"Tim Riggins is cooking me tacos?" She asks skeptically.

"Ok, Billy's making the tacos, but I'll cut the lettuce and tomatoes!" He relents. She grins and kisses his cheek.

"Don't cut your finger like last time." She chides in an amused tone and he rolls his eyes, exasperated.

"That was one time!" He protests. She grins and shakes her head, pulling him towards his classroom.

"Billy, I'm home!" He yells, dropping his bag on the floor with a loud 'thunk'. Carden follows after him, dropping his own bag.

"What? Is that my baby brother? Actually in his house? Where his flesh and blood brother has raised him? Finally done playing house with that little woman of yours?" Billy calls, tone filled with sarcasm. Carden looks up Tim, who flinches. Billy walks out of the bathroom and spots Carden.

"Hi Billy." Carden says, cheerfully waving.

"Shit." Billy says, rubbing his forehead. "You brought the kid home?" He demands of Tim, who shrugs.

"Lifting gets done the same time as his spring practice. I grab him since Rae is at work. Cause she actually has a job." He says flatly. "C'mon Car, we can go play video games until Rae gets home and yells at us to do homework." He says, leading Carden to his room.

"Billy doesn't like me." Carden says thoughtfully, looking up from his homework while Rae eats her leftover taco.

"Why do you say that?" Tim asks. Carden rolls his eyes.

"Because he calls me 'the kid'." He reminds him. "I mean, I'm not sure about Texas, but in Minnesota, that isn't exactly a term of endearment."

"Honestly?" Rae demands, looking at Tim, who shrugs helplessly.

"Oh, and he called you 'Tim's little woman'." Carden informs her, grinning. Rae's jaw drops in indignation.

"That is so condescending!" She rages. "Tim, how come you didn't say anything to him? He can't call me that!"

"Dude, are you trying to get me beat up?" Tim says, throwing his eraser at him. Carden ducks it, laughing. Rae is fuming.

"If he doesn't want us over we don't have to come. Simple as that." She says through gritted teeth. Tim gets up and takes her dirty plate, kissing her head.

"Shut up and help me with chemistry." He says. She smiles slightly. "Little woman." He teases and she gasps, throwing a pencil at him.

"Tim, Carden is gonna be home soon." Rae mummers, kissing him again. Tim pays her no attention, just scratches his nails across her lower back. She moans softly and bites his earlobe.

"He can wait outside." He says gruffly, pulling her onto his lap. She laughs slightly, tangling her fingers in his hair and kissing him again. He's reaching up to unclasp her bra when they hear the voices of a couple boys outside, but getting closer. Rae sits straight up, wide eyed.

"Carden." She hisses then hastily climbs off of his lap and arranges herself back onto the couch, bright red.

"Rae!" He hisses, gesturing to his lap. She realizes what situation he's in and stares at him, mouth round in panic. She throws her legs over his lap, just as the door opens and Carden and his buddies spill in.

"Hi Car!" Rae says, too loud and bright.

"Hey Mais, Tim." Carden says without looking at them, bee lining straight for the kitchen. His buddies however hang back, staring at the couple on the couch, mouths' hanging open.

"You're Tim Riggins!" One says and Tim looks at Rae then nods slowly. She covers her face with her hands, silently laughing.

"Yeah, that's me." He says, awkwardly patting Rae's leg, unsure of what else to do with his hands.

"Fullback for the Dillon Panthers!" The other says, awed.

"Can we see your state ring?" The first one pleads.

"Uh, yeah, she has it." Tim mutters, gesturing to Rae, who smiles and pulls her necklace out. On a long chain dangles the state ring.

"Dude, your sister has Tim Riggins's state ring?" One whispers to Carden reverently. He rolls his eyes, unimpressed, munching from a bag of chips.

"Cause if he wore it working on his truck he'd probably break it, Joey." Carden says, as if it should be obvious.

"Winning state must've been so hard." The other boy says, wide eyed, not even blinking.

"Yeah, pretty hard." Tim says, through gritted teeth. Rae is teasing his hipbone gently, where the boys can't see it. She smiles serenely.

"Well, Joey and Brett were just stopping by for a snack." Carden says, trying to pull them into the kitchen. When they're distracted protesting that they want to talk to Tim, he lunges at Rae, tickling her. She shrieks, laughing.

"You have Tim Riggins on your couch! How come you never told us that he was your sister's boyfriend?!" Brett demands, making Carden sigh.

"Cause he's not the superstar fullback when he's here. He just makes me pancakes and forgets to put the cap on the toothpaste." Carden informs them, only causing their excitement to grow.

"Do you think he'll throw the football with us?" Joey asks, practically bouncing up and down in his excitement. With a heavy sigh Carden resigns himself to the fact that Tim is their idol and drags his feet back into the living room.

"Tim, will you throw the football?" He asks, as if it pains him to do so. Tim looks up from tickling his sister.

"You boys might want to give Timmy a quick break. He needs to uh, settle down, from all of this excitement." Rae says cheerfully, from beneath Tim. Tim glares down at her, not amused.

"Whatever that means." Carden says, grabbing the football. "C'mon guys, he'll be out soon." When they're finally outside, Rae grabs Tim and pulls him down for one long kiss.

"Go play with your little fans." She says softly.

"I don't want to." He whines, rubbing her side. She laughs, squirming out of his grasp.

"They adore you. Go throw it with them. It'd make their whole summer." She says, kissing his cheek. He pouts then gets up. "You know what I don't get?" She asks thoughtfully.

"Why you're kicking your boyfriend out of the house to go throw a football with three middle schoolers in 100 degree weather?" He suggests, unbuttoning his shirt and grabbing his hat. She smiles, shaking her head.

"Why Carden doesn't go running around telling his entire school that the star of the Panthers is the guy that gets him ready in the morning and teaches him how to break a tackle." She says, biting her lip. "I mean, Joey and Brett were so amazed to see you. He could have a lot more friends if he just flaunted you."

"Maybe he realizes how uncool I actually am." Tim says, kissing her head. She swats his butt impishly.

"I like it when you wear your hat backwards like that. Makes you look like a Minnesota hockey boy." She teases and he pauses in the doorway with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm from Texas and don't you forget it." He orders.

"Go play football Tim Riggins, I'll make you some nice cold lemonade for when you come in, hot and crabby." She calls, teasing. The boys cheer loudly when Tim comes outside. She grins, watching him play with them and how Carden lights up when Tim praises him.

"This is the big lake you were so excited about?" She asks, looking around, unimpressed. He gapes at her. "I'm sorry sweetie." She insists, patting his cheek. "It's just, where I come from, lakes are so big you can't see the other sides of them. This is hardly a pond. More like a puddle. I've seen puddles bigger than this actually, especially when all the snow melts-"

"Rae, do you want to go on a boat or not?" He demands, cutting off her ramblings about lakes.

"Is it an actual boat or just a row boat?" She asks, looking around suspiciously. Tim rolls his eyes and tosses her over his shoulder, despite her protests. "Oh, it is a real boat." She says, delighted, once he sets her down. They putt to the middle and drop anchor. Rae dives off the front and floats happily in the water, eyes closed. Tim watches her, smiling.

"Your birthday is coming up." He reminds her, pulling a beer out of the cooler and she makes a face.

"Another year older, what a joy." She says sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I'm still in Texas, so I'm still in hell."

"You got any plans made yet?" He questions, ignoring the jab about Texas automatically.

"Yeah, dad's gonna come home from the oil fields and take Car and I out for a big supper, to celebrate all my achievements." She snickers.

"Well, I got something in mind." Tim says, reclining with a mischievous smile. Rae swims up to the side and heaves herself up.

"Yeah? Whatca thinking?" She asks curiously, getting her own beer out of the cooler and stretching out to dry off in the sun.

"There's an ice skating rink in Austin. I figured it would be my birthday present to you and Car, since his is right before yours. It's five bucks to rent skates, so I figured that and gas and supper, you might have to use some of your work money." Tim says, watching her carefully for a reaction.

"Sweetie, I'm from Minnesota and Carden has been playing hockey since he was 3. It'll be 5 dollars to rent skates for you." She scoffs, standing up.

"So do you like the idea?" He asks, nervously.

"Put your beer down." She states calmly.

"Why?" He asks nervously. She just points to the table and slowly he does as told. She gestures for him to stand and he does. Then she squeals, running for him, tackling him right off the boat and into the water.

"BEST BIRTHDAY IDEA EVER!" She yells, kissing him in the water. He grins and hugs her, then dunks her. She comes up, spluttering.

"That was for tackling me." He says sternly. "But you did have nice form." He compliments, grabbing her butt. She laughs, trying to dunk him to no avail. They spend the entire day floating on the lake, talking about football and the upcoming season.

"Do you like your new coach?" Rae asks curiously, curled up in his side, wearing one of his oversized Dillon Panthers sweatshirts as the sun slowly starts to sink. He shrugs, making a noncommittal noise.

"He's not Coach Taylor." He says carefully. Rae looks up at him.

"You can tell me what you're feeling mister." She reminds him gently. He just shakes his head.

"It sucks that Coach left us after state. We just weren't good enough for him." He grumbles, moodily spinning his beer can. Rae climbs onto his lap, holding his face sternly.

"Tim Riggins, you know that's not reason. You are good enough for him." She says fiercely. He smiles slightly, hugging her.

"How come you always know how to make me feel better?" He mutters, kissing her nose.

"Cause I'm perfect." Rae says smugly, flipping her hair. He laughs and raises an eyebrow.

"I believe I'm the star fullback of the state champions." He teases, flicking the logo on the sweatshirt.

"Who only played cause I tutored his ass off every single day!" She protests, smacking his hands.

"You made me pull weeds for the first hour!" He reminds her, affronted. She smiles sweetly.

"And look who got a B- on that oral exam. If you weren't so stubborn my yard wouldn't look so good!" She says then squeals in protest when he picks her up and dangles her threateningly over the side of the boat.

"Says the 200 pound bundle of sass in a 100 pound girl." He says, bringing her back over the rail. She stretches onto the tips of her toes, kissing him softly.

"Too bad I'm your ball of sass." She whispers. He tilts his head, grinning.

"Prove it." He challenges. She smiles smugly and holds up her crossed fingers. He laughs and shakes his head.

"I knew I had you right where I wanted you the first time I did that." She says, turning and pressing her back into his chest, watching the sunset.

"Well I knew I had you right where I wanted you when you said I had 80's style hair." He protests. She rolls her eyes, laughing.

"Where was that, with me hating you and you not knowing my name?" She points out.

"Long term plan baby. Long term." He hushes her, kissing her neck. She shifts against him grinning.

"Long term plan, huh?" She asks softly. He nods. "And what plan is that now?" She asks, almost dreading the answer.

"Get you to ice. Get through hell week. Kick ass. Pass classes. And win another state ring to put around that pretty little neck of yours." He says, kissing her neck again, rubbing her back.

"And graduate." She adds, raising an eyebrow. He nods, continuing to kiss her neck until she spins around and kisses him.

 **AN:** Summertime! I like thinking about a summer with Tim would be like. Leave reviews pretty pretty please!


	21. Hockey Skates

"Why'd you have me grab my skates?" Carden asks, squished between them. Rae and Tim both stare ahead, not commenting. "Where are we going?" He tries and sighs when he still receives no answer. "Are we even going to make it there in this thing?" He asks, eyeing the truck distrustfully.

"Hey Car, watch it." Tim warns, patting the truck's dash. "This is my baby. She's a good girl."

"First time I actually talked to him it was cause it overheated and he needed a ride home." Rae informs Carden, who smirks. "And I thought I was your baby." She says, leaning forward to give Tim a look.

"You are, mostly." Tim says. She leans over Carden and smacks his arm. "Careful, you'll make me drive right off the road!" He protests and she scoffs, hitting him again.

"Is this what I think it is…" Carden says slowly, once they pull up to the rink. Rae smiles at him.

"Happy birthday little brother." She says softly. "From Tim and I." Carden looks at the rink in disbelief, and then back at them, then at the rink, his jaw nearly touching his chest.

"No way." He breathes then hugs Rae tightly. "This is the coolest thing anyone has ever done." He says, voice slightly muffled.

"Don't just thank me, it was Tim's idea." Rae says, smiling while trying to hold back tears. Carden spins then hugs Tim just as tightly as Rae.

"You are the coolest almost big brother ever." He says quietly and Tim nods, unable to say anything else. After a pause, Tim pushes him slightly.

"C'mon kid you have to teach me how to skate." He says and Carden hastily climbs out after Rae, grabbing his bag out of the back of the truck. He practically sprints into the rink. Rae and Tim follow at a slower pace, hand in hand.

"Have you ever skated before?" Rae asks him curiously.

"Not a day in my life." He says evenly. She laughs and skips ahead of him a little bit, skates bouncing on her back.

On the ice, Carden whips around the other unsteady skaters, a permanent smile on his face. Rae stands in the doorway to the ice, hands on her hips, watching as Tim struggles to walk to the door.

"He looks like a newborn deer." Carden comments, stopping inches from her and spraying her with ice.

"Be nice, he's never done this before and it's all for you." She scolds then smiles encouragingly at Tim, who's almost made it to the door.

"Are you sure you didn't have a couple shots in the truck?" Carden calls. Tim gives him a dirty look.

"Would've made dealing with you a whole hell of lot easier." He says grumpily, finally making it to the door.

"Better tape those ankles, bender." Carden says, grinning. Then he jumps slightly and zooms away, scaring the other skaters by getting too close. Tim looks at Rae for an explanation. He can tell that it was an insult by the way she is exasperated but also amused. She shakes her head.

"It means your ankles bend in your skates." She explains, seeing his confusion and he looks down at his ankles then back up at her.

"So?" He demands. She laughs and helps him onto the ice.

"It's a hockey thing baby." She reassures him. He clings to the wall, trying to get his legs underneath him, flailing whenever his balance is off just slightly. Rae hovers nearby. He makes his way around the rink once like this, pulling himself hand over hand with the wall.

"Does he need a walker?" Carden taunts, skating next to him, easily skating backwards.

"Go one on one with me on the field little man, I'll kick your ass." He threatens, but the effect is somewhat lost with the fact that he's wobbling. Carden just smirks and takes off again.

"C'mon." Rae says gently, coaxing him away from the wall. "Hang onto my hands and keep your center of gravity low." She instructs. Tim is practically squatting but he follows her, gripping her hands tightly. She skates backwards, teaching him. Halfway through their lap, Carden shows up with a puck and stick, beaming.

"Look Mais!" He says, bouncing the puck on the stick.

"Can you do that?" She asks nervously, glancing around at the people skating. He shrugs, uncaring, and skates off.

"How is he so natural?" Tim demands, glaring as Carden puck handles easily. Rae laughs, pulling him a little faster.

"In our first life dad would actually take him to the rink and play. I don't think Car ever really stops thinking about hockey. When we first moved, I found his skates in the garbage one night. And I took them out and kept them. He took them back a week later. The kid was born with ice in his veins and lives with it under his feet." She says, watching her brother proudly.

"I'd rather have the dirt." Tim mutters then falls on his butt and pulls Rae down with him.

"So whatca think, we got the next Gretzky on our hands?" Rae asks, watching as Tim skates in a small circle, unstable, but on his own. Carden, leaning against his stick, raises an eyebrow.

"I think his ass would get checked so hard he wouldn't wake up for three weeks." He comments.

"I was gonna say a month." She says lowly. "You're doing great baby!" She cheers as Tim gestures for Carden to come out and join him.

"Maisie." Carden says and she looks at him, realizing with a start that he is already taller than her on his skates. "Thank you. And Tim. This really was the best birthday ever. Best day I've had in Texas in… Ever." He says honestly and she smiles, pulling him into a hug.

"I can't give you everything mom gave you and I'm sorry, but I try." She whispers, struggling not to cry.

"You're doing a pretty good job Mais." He whispers back then hurries out and has to catch Tim when he stumbles.

"C'mon, you'd get laughed at so bad back home." He taunts and Tim takes his stick, using it as a crutch.

"Alright then punk, teach me how to skate." He challenges and Carden just grin uncontrollably. Rae beams and skates after them, forgetting for a couple minutes that she's somewhere she hates and pretends that she's back home and nothing has ever changed.

"That's awesome Jules. Congrats. I'll be over soon. Ok. Ok, bye sweetie." Rae hangs up her phone and screams, jumping in the pool, right next to Tim, on his floating raft.

"Jesus." Tim swears, covering his beer protectively from the splash.

"Mrs. Taylor had her baby!" Rae says, swimming up to him and shaking his shoulders excitedly, nearly spilling the beer.

"Oh you're in for it now." Carden warns him.

"Why?" Tim asks, confused.

"She loves babies." Carden says, grinning. "She goes completely nuts around them. Won't stop holding them."

"I love babies." Rae says dreamily, arms still around his neck. Tim looks down at her then at Carden, panicking.

"Do you… Do you… Do you, uh… Want them?" He splutters. She looks up at him like he is an idiot.

"Of course not Tim Riggins, I am barely 18. I don't want yours or anyone else's babies." She scoffs. He relaxes and she wraps her arms around his neck, pressing her entire body into him. "However, I love the practice." She whispers silkily in his ear. He groans and buries his face in her neck. The next morning, she rolls over and pokes him awake.

"Get up Tim Riggins, you have practice." She orders cheerfully. He groans, burying his face in her pillows. "Get up and I'll make waffles." She singsongs. He raises his head, not opening his eyes.

"With chocolate chips?" He asks hopefully.

"Anything for you during hell week." She says, kissing his head. "And afterwards you go get Carden please, I'm going to go over to Julie's to see baby Gracie!" She calls. He moans and pulls the blankets over his face in a feeble attempt to block out the sunlight that's streaming in.

Tim walks in and slams the door. Rae sighs and reaches inside the fridge and pulls him a beer out of the fridge. She hands it to him.

"I quit the team today." He announces bluntly and she stares at him, unsure of what to do.

"Like 'quit-quit' or the 'I'm Tim Riggins, you can't treat me like this' quit?" She asks warily.

"You know Rae, I'm not really sure." He says broodingly. She sighs and kisses his head, patting his back. After a couple minutes he sighs and gestures for her to kiss him. She indulges. "I can't get Carden tomorrow, I have practice." He grumbles. Rae kisses his head to hide her smile.

"Ok baby." She says quietly.

"Did I just see Tim Riggins playing pick up football with the neighborhood kids?" Mr. Taylor demands, walking in the door.

"You did." Mrs. Taylor says, smiling. He stares at them, uncomprehending. Rae turns the corner, rocking Gracie.

"That was me." She says, somewhat sheepishly. He raises an eyebrow. "It started out as a punishment for missing his SAT. I said he had to play with Car's friends. And when his two weeks were up, he told me if he stopped playing with them, it'd break their hearts. So he does it a couple times a week." She reveals.

"What the hell?" He demands, bewildered. Julie exits her room.

"Ready to go?" She asks, not looking at her parents.

"Go where?" He asks, looking between them. Rae makes a face and excuses herself to go put Gracie in her crib. When she straightens up, Julie just flips her hair and gives her dad a cold look.

"C'mon Rae." She says, storming out of the house.

"Bye guys! Call me if you need anyone to babysit Gracie!" She calls hastily, following Julie.

"Change of plans. I'm going somewhere else with Lois. You go to the party. Tell Matt I can't go out or something." She says brusquely. Rae's heart sinks. She knows exactly where and who Julie is meeting.

"Jules…" She says slowly.

"Rae." Julie says, sighing. "Please, just do this. For me." Rae bites her lip and shakes her head, folding her arms.

"This is not a good idea but I love you and I trust you, so ok." She says, hugging her. Julie grins and waves, running towards Lois's idling car. Rae pulls out of the driveway, biting her lip. When she arrives at the lake house she finds Tim and drags him aside.

"Julie's not coming for Matt." She says after kissing him. He sighs and reaches around someone and offers her a shot.

"It's about you, not them." He reminds her. She nods and takes the shot, then kisses him again.

"Throw me a party, Tim Riggins." She whispers, biting his lip. He leans back, grinning.

"Someone get this girl a drink!" He hollers and everyone cheers. She separates from him a little later, finally comfortable mingling and talking with the dance girls, no longer defensive about every word spoken to her.

"Hey Tim." A couple girls chatter as they walk by, shooting him coy looks. He nods, taking a drink from his cup.

"How many girlfriends do you have?" A freshman defenseman asks, looking after the girls in awe.

"Just the one." Tim says, watching as Rae leans back, laughing as one of the girls tells a story.

"God, she's pretty." The kid says and Tim lowers his drink, raising an eyebrow. The kid stutters and hurries away.

 **AN:** More summertime fun with Tim and Rae... If any of you have noticed, I'm replacing Lyla with Rae and keeping some of the show's storylines, because while I liked Lyla and Tim together, it also broke my heart a lot. So please review, follow, favorite, share it with your friends, all the nonsense!


	22. Hospital Visits

School starts and it's back to the rally girls and cheerleaders and the daily struggle to get Tim to classes and have him care. The party at the ranch along with Julie and Matt's breakup gives people something to talk about. Rae wisely doesn't bring up Tim stopping Buddy at the party and he doesn't mention it either. But at school, Lyla catches her arm.

"Hey, Rae." She says softly.

"Lyla." Rae says shortly.

"Thanks for letting Tim help me with my dad. I know that you know about our past, but I still mean what I said, about you being good for him." She explains. Rae gives her an odd look.

"The past is the past Lyla. And Tim's pretty great at handling drunk dads, if that's what your pretty nose is looking down at." She says, crossing her arms defensively and not breaking eye contact.

"That's not at all what I meant." Lyla says, mortified. "I just wanted to say thank you." Rae looks at her for a long time then smiles slightly.

"You're welcome Lyla." She says softly then walks away.

"I wish Coach Taylor was back." Tim mutters, leaning against her locker. She looks at him in surprise.

"There are words I never thought I'd hear come out of your mouth." She teases him. He shakes his head.

"I mean it Rae." He says, grabbing her books and walking with her. "Our coach now's an asshole. One of these days he's going to put us in the hospital." He mutters and Rae looks up at him, confused, but doesn't question it.

She walks past the field after dance with Julie. They're complaining about the relentless heat when Julie suddenly stops walking, looking in the direction of the football field.

"Is that an ambulance?" She asks, squinting. Rae glances over dismissively then does a double take.

"Julie, that's on the football field." She says slowly. Rae takes off and Julie, despite herself, isn't far behind. Rae stands at the railing, fist in mouth, to stop her screaming. It's Tim on the stretcher and she remembers his words earlier today about the hospital.

"JASON!" Julie's yell startles her. Jason sees them and wheels frantically over. "What happened?" She demands.

"Riggins collapsed, I don't know how or why but they're taking him to the hospital." He says quickly.

"I'm going to kill that coach." Rae threatens, murderously. She spins and bee lines for her car. When she gets to the hospital, she makes straight for Tim's room, ignoring any nurse that tells her no.

"Rae." Tim says hastily when he sees the fire in her eyes, but she's already grabbed the doctor's arm and yanked him over to face her.

"What did he do?" She asks, pointing to Tim, not even looking at him. The doctor glances at Tim and opens his mouth, unsure. He sees the flinty look in her eyes and decides to talk.

"Severely dehydrated, but we've got him on fluids now, so he's going to recover in no time." He says quickly, looking back and forth between them. Rae nods and lets him go. He quickly hurries away.

"Tim Riggins, I am going to kill you." She says quietly, still not turning around to look at him.

"Rae, I'm fine." He insists quietly. She takes a couple deep breaths and with a sinking heart he realizes she's trying not to cry. "Rae, come here." He coaxes her to walk to his side. "C'mere." He says softly. Gently, she crawls onto his bed and curls up tightly next to him.

"I was so worried about you." She whispers, more to his shoulder than his face. He strokes her hair.

"I know. I'm sorry." He apologies.

"You said this would happen." She rambles.

"I know. I'm sorry." He repeats.

"I hate hospitals. They remind me of my mom." She says miserably.

"I know. I'm sorry." He says, drawing her in close.

"I love you." She says quietly but without hesitation.

"I know. I'm- what?" He asks, startled.

"I love you Tim Riggins." She says, tilting her head back to look him in his eyes. "That's all I could think about when I saw that ambulance drive off the field with you in the back. And if you can't say it back, so be it, but I just need you to know it before you kill yourself or that damn coach does it for you." She says. He doesn't say anything, emotions all over the place. He draws her close and kisses her head as she closes her eyes.

He knows he loves her. He just can't say it.

* * *

There's a knock on the door and Rae sits straight up in bed. Tim, next to her, groans in protest.

"Tim, someone's at the door." She hisses.

"Nu-uh, you're hearing stuff, come lay back down." He mutters, patting the bed until he finds her hand. He tugs on it, attempting to get her to lie back down. She pulls it from his grasp.

"Tim!" She says sternly. He sighs, grumbles incoherently, and sits up. "What if it's a killer?" She demands, one hand on his shoulder.

"Why would they knock?" He points out and she smacks him.

"Because that's how they get you to open the door!" She tells him and he groans. He reaches under the bed and grabs a baseball bat.

"Lessgo." He says tiredly, rubbing his eye with one hand and gesturing for her to go with the bat. Carefully, she gets up and makes her way to the living room. Tim stumbles behind her, still not awake. She opens the door slowly, fully expecting a masked murderer. Instead, she gets a crying Julie.

"Julie?" She asks, quickly opening the door and ushering her inside.

"Hey look Rae, it's not a killer, just Coach's daughter. Hallelujah, I'm going back to bed." Tim says cheerfully, kissing her forehead, tossing the bat aside, and shutting her door. Julie watches him go, with a mixture of impressed and confused on her face.

"Jules, what happened? What's wrong?" Rae demands, pulling on her arm to make her sit down on the couch.

"Did he just have a bat? Are you living with Tim Riggins?" Julie asks, still looking at her bedroom door.

"Technically, he's living with me, but it's 3 in the morning Julie, what are you doing on my couch?" Rae probes. Julie looks at her, tears reemerging in her eyes now that the focus is off of Tim.

"My mom slapped me, Rae. She caught me making out with the Swede and I refused to get out of the car, so she pulled me out and we got in a fight and…" It all spills out in a rush and she turns so Rae can see the red mark on her cheek. Rae covers her mouth then pulls Julie in for a tight hug.

"Sleep on my couch tonight. You can wear some of my clothes tomorrow. It's going to be ok." She promises, rocking her back and forth.

In the morning, she and Tim stand in her doorway, looking at Julie sleeping peacefully on the couch.

"What are the odds that she won't tell everyone in the school that I'm shacking up with you?" Rae questions aloud.

"So bad you don't even wanna know." Tim says, amused. Rae sighs and shakes her head. "I don't mind them all knowing. They know you're my girl anyways." Tim says, kissing her head.

"The types of 'I love you' that I get from you are so sweet." Rae teases, ducking under his arm to start making breakfast. He just grins and follows suit.

Friday night rolls around and Julie meets Rae at the game. She still looks sad about her fight with her mother and Rae's heart breaks a little for the girl she's come to see as a little sister.

"C'mon." Rae says, putting her arm around her, guiding her to the stands. Tim looks up and sees Rae, next to Julie. He saw it all last season, but this time it's different. She doesn't have to wear the 33 on her cheek. She has the ring, his ring, around her neck.

The game is long and tough. Rae is surprised but amused to notice that she can tell what mood Tim is in just by the set of his shoulders. And after that final play, she knows nothing good will come of it. The fight between Matt and Smash doesn't do him any good and he walks off the field, avoiding it all. She meets him on the sidelines with a nervous look.

He doesn't say anything, nothing at all. He just stares at her, as he starts taking off his pads. She has a flashback to the hotel in Gatling, his unflinching gaze that made her feel nervous and powerful, all with just a glance. When he finally is done with his gear, he drops it into a heap on the ground.

"Come here." He says, with no room for argument. Slowly, she walks forward to him. When she gets close enough, he grabs her and pulls her close. He spins her around and pushes her against the fence, kissing her long and hard.

"Tim." She says, breathlessly. He doesn't let her continue, insistent in his kisses. She gives up trying to talk and goes with it.

"I love you." He says finally, when he draws back. "I can't and won't say it often because that's just me. But I do and I know you know. But I have to say it." He spills it all out and she smiles, stroking his face.

"I know. You say it all the time, when you refuse to get out of bed with me in the morning. When you grab milk because you know we're out. When you play football with Carden. When you put this ring around my neck and called me your girl. I know you love me, Tim Riggins. And I love you." She says, sincerely.

That night, the doorbell rings again, just after they've gotten home from the party. They exchange looks.

"If that's Julie, we gotta do something." Tim mutters. Rae gives him a smack on the arm and pulls the door open.

"Jason?" She asks in surprise.

"Hey Rae, I'm here for Tim." He states, giving her a smile. Tim brushes past her and stands, talking to him. Rae tries to keep her hands busy with dishes or homework, doing anything, but fails. She winds up striving to overhear anything, with no success. When Tim finally comes back in, she can tell something is up. He sighs heavily and gestures for her to sit on the couch.

"I'm going to Mexico with Jason." He states and she looks at him evenly, trying to not freak out immediately. "He thinks there's a treatment down there to give him back his legs. So I'm taking him." He says and Rae bites her lip, mulling it over. Finally, she reaches up and hugs him.

"My bed sure is gonna be lonely for the next couple nights." She whispers. He smiles and kisses her.

"The second we're back, I'll meet you there." He promises then packs a bag and is gone.

 **AN:** Ok so there's something I should give you all a heads up on, since I'm about to take free reign with this story a little bit. Season 2 and season 3 never sat right with me, mainly because who the hell believes Tim Riggins is a sophomore is season 1? (Trust me, my guy is built like Tim Riggins, but when he was a sophomore, he was much more Matt sized.) So my solution was to combine season 2 and 3, since it's apparent that season 2 was cut short by the writer's strike. Hopefully that clears up any confusion you have for these next chapters and if you have any questions, do this thing called a review!


	23. Mexican Vacation

"A week?" Rae demands, over the static filled connection. "Tim Riggins, I am going to kick your ass!"

"In a week you can baby!" He yells. "I love you!" With that, he hangs up. She looks at the phone in disbelief.

"When's your lover coming home?" Carden asks, coming into the kitchen, seeing her angry face.

"He'll be in Mexico for another week." She says, rubbing her temples. Carden looks at her. "Dead serious." She promises. And a week later, she gets another call, in the dead of the night from a panicky Tim.

"He might actually go through with this." Tim confides and she sighs, sitting up, checking the time. 2 a.m.

"Isn't that what you guys went down there for?" She points out, curling back up and shutting her eyes.

"Not like this. This is dangerous Rae. The doctor was talking about injecting him with some shark blood or something." He frets nervously.

"Well, what are you going to do baby?" She asks, trying to get comfortable again and failing.

"I need you to come down here. Help me. Help me talk him out of it." He states and she opens her eyes fully.

"Mexico? You're insane." She declares.

"I swear he's gonna die if he goes through with this, Rae. Please. Tell him about your mom and the miracles you wanted. Please Rae. I need you." He begs. She sits up and draws her knees to her chest, unsure. "I know how personal it is. But I can't lose him." She sighs and pulls her hair up into a ponytail.

"I'm going to kick your ass from Mexico to Canada. And stop in Minnesota extra long so everyone can see. And then I'm going to beat you all the way back to Texas." She threatens, getting up and pulling shorts on.

"So you're coming?" He asks hopefully.

"Give me directions now because I swear if I got lost and kidnapped I'll murder you." She threatens.

"Can't wait to see you baby." He says then hangs up. She sneaks into Carden's room and wakes him up.

"Let me guess. You're going to Mexico." He grumbles, not even waking up fully. "Tim got himself in trouble, you have to go fix it. I can handle myself for a couple days. Just don't die, I still can't make spaghetti." And with that he rolls right back over and goes to sleep.

The taxi snakes through the city and she watches, wide eyed, as people stream by. Her Spanish is rudimentary, but it's enough to get her by. She arrives at the hotel and hurries up. She greets the man with a smile.

"El cuerto de Tim Riggins, por favor." She says, smiling. The man points her down the hall, to where Jason is sitting, staring at her in disbelief.

"Na, I knew Riggins was whipped but I didn't think he would do this." He says, eyeing her with distrust. "Why are you here?" He demands. She sighs and picks up her bags.

"Jason, you're pissed right now." She says quietly.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to agree with you Rae. RIGGINS GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE. NOW!" He bellows and Tim pokes his head out and spots Rae. He grins and pushes past Jason to hug her tightly and kiss her. "What is your girlfriend doing here?" Jason demands, ignoring the PDA.

"Moral support." Rae says quickly. "This isn't the first time I've walked into a hospital and hoped for a miracle. Not getting one cost me my faith." She says quietly and Tim slips his hand into hers.

"Rae, I don't know what you mean." Jason says quietly, calming down some. "But I'm sorry. If you want to stay for support, for me or him, so be it." She smiles and nods. When Jason wheels back into their room, Rae pulls Tim aside, giving him a murderous look.

"Riggins, what is your plan here, because I'd like to be in on it." She orders hotly. He sighs, pushing his hair back.

"There's a booze cruise tomorrow. Take him on that, get him drunk, and talk sense into him. Simple." He informs her and she rubs her head.

"Sometimes I wonder." She mutters then pushes past him and drops her bag on his bed, looking around and shaking her head.

"This is awesome!" Jason cheers as the boat putters through the ocean, at the same time Rae hisses to Tim, jabbing his chest,

"I hate this and everything about it, including you." He nods, pushing her hands away and taking it in stride. He pushes her over to Jason.

"So is this my intervention?" He asks, looking at both of them, noticing the nervous looks they exchange.

"Listen man, we've been talking, and we don't think this whole stem cell thing is such a great idea." Tim says carefully.

"We're worried about you Jason." Rae adds.

"Why are you even here?" Jason demands of Rae, ignoring Tim. "Why is she even here? A year ago, you didn't even know her!"

"Jay." Tim says tiredly.

"I've been researching this for weeks." Jason says stubbornly.

"C'mon man, even the doctors say there's a good chance of you dying on the table." Tim reminds him.

"I want out of this chair, alright?" Jason says, getting red in the face. "I want out of the chair. Not next month, not next year. I want out now, alright? And there's no way to do that and neither of you can look me in the eye and tell me you know what it's like to live in this chair." He spits. "So I'm gonna do this. And y'all can't stop me." Rae and Tim exchanges glances and she takes a deep breath, trying to calm her trembling hands.

"I don't know what it's like in that chair Jason, but I do know what it's like to pin your last desperate hope on something." She says quietly then glances back at Tim and he nods encouragingly.

"Rae, what are you talking about?" Jason asks, trying not to sound agitated with her. She sighs and sits in front of him, taking his hand in hers.

"You're right. A year ago, Tim didn't know me. You still hardly do. So I'm going to tell you about me. Do you know why I came to Dillon, Jason?" She asks. Jason looks at Tim, who's shaking his head.

"No, no I guess not." He says, looking back down at her.

"My mom died." She says frankly. He opens his mouth but she holds up a hand, stopping him. "Don't do your whole Texas pity thing, I don't care. I don't need it, not anymore, got it? She died, she's gone, and I have had time to make my peace. But you want to know something even Tim doesn't know?" She asks and Tim looks up in surprise. They have always avoided talking about parents, as a way to avoid tears and anger.

"Yes please." Jason says quietly.

"The last time my mom got breast cancer, this guy called. It was a couple nights after we found out. Mom's lying on the couch, she's crying. My dad is sitting in the chair, he's crying. My little brother, who's only 11 at the time, he's hanging onto me like I'm the last anchor he's got to this earth." Rae takes a deep breath, tilting her head back to stop the stream of tears.

"Rae…" Tim says softly, kneeling next to her and touching her shoulder but she plunges on.

"And this guy, on the phone, tells me he has this miracle drug. They've done a couple tests, he thinks it can really help, my mom's a good candidate, all that smarty talk they do. And I look at my dad and I know who he is without my mom. And I look at my mom, the woman who has raised me, taught me everything, who I couldn't go more than five minutes being mad at because she's my best friend. And I look at Carden and think about all the things he needs a mom for. All the things she can give him and I can't. So you know what I do Jason?" She asks, not bothering to stop the tears now.

"What?" He asks, watching her cry.

"I talked my dad into wasting my family's entire savings so we could illegally order this drug from Peru. Found a doctor who would administer it. And he did. And guess what happened Jason Street?" She asks, but this time he remains silent. "I watched my mama die. I sang to her and she was so weak she couldn't even say I love you back to me. I robbed her of that. I robbed my baby brother of that. And let me tell you, the sound that comes from a little boy when he realizes he has to go the rest of his life without his mother, that sound never ever leaves you. That sound changes you. You know what else never leaves you? The gnawing, terrible, gut feeling that maybe if I hadn't talked her into that dumb miracle, maybe she would've died in peace. Maybe I wouldn't have hurt her. Maybe my daddy wouldn't be hiding in the oil fields, sending half his paycheck home so Carden and I can stay just above the poverty line and drinking the other half away. Maybe my 13-year-old brother wouldn't be looking for a job that hires 14 year olds, so I don't have to work full time so he can get new football cleats." She takes a deep breath and Tim rubs her shoulders, kissing her head.

"I love you." He whispers and she nods.

"Point is, Jason Street, I have not sat in the wheelchair but I have sat in your spot. Where you're desperate and even the craziest things seem like they're going to work. But think of your parents. Don't do to them what I did to my mother and rob them of a goodbye. You're still here, you are healthy and young. Does your life suck? Sure, you can't walk. But you are alive. You are talking and breathing and are so loved by the people around you. And is that such a bad life?" With that Rae gets up and walks away, wiping her eyes. Jason looks at Tim, shaken.

"I don't just love her cause she's got a nice ass." Tim says gruffly then leans down and grabs Jason's shoulder. "I love you. And I will knock you out and bring your ass back to Dillon if I have to." Jason looks at him, long and hard. "Ok?" With that he goes to comfort Rae.

"Hey." She says quietly when he kisses her head. "Sorry I broke down with Jason, it's just hard to talk about."

"It's your mom Rae. You can cry." He reminds her, pulling her into his arms. She rests her head against his chest. "You're so brave. Thank you for telling me that." He mummers.

"Like I can keep anything from you." She says, her attempt at teasing him feeble, but he still chuckles.

"I think he'll actually listen to you." He reveals. She looks up at him curiously. "I sure would, after that." She makes a face.

"Well, either way, I want to go home." She informs him.

"Me too. Let's see what Jay has to say." He suggests. When they stand and turn around, Jason is gone.

"No." Rae breathes, scanning the ocean while Tim frantically yells for them to turn the boat around. "Tim I can't see him!" She yells.

"JAY!" Tim yells, again and again, his face devoid of any color. And then, after a few heart pounding seconds, they see his head. In a blur, they manage to get off the boat, get a car, and speed onto the beach. Jason is sitting there, looking thoughtfully at the ocean. "Six!" Tim yells, half angry, half relieved, sprinting for him.

"What were you thinking?" Rae heatedly demands, skidding to a stop and sending sand flying.

"I wasn't." Jason says, with a small smile. "I'm sorry." Tim just exhales in relief and nods. "I'm not having the surgery." He announces and all the tension runs out of Tim's shoulders. They sit next to him and watch the sun set over the ocean. "Let's go back to Texas." Jason decides finally.

"Let's go back to Texas." Tim says, thankful. "Let's get you up." They watch the waves for a moment then Jason breaks the silence.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I'm just contemplating how to get you in the truck at this point." Tim says, making them all laugh. Once Jason is securely in the truck, he takes Rae's hand.

"Thank you." He says quietly. "And I'm really sorry about your mom." She kisses his cheek gently.

"Please, just don't scare me like that again." She requests. "You Texas boys are going to be the death of me."

"How was the surprise Mexican vacation?" Carden inquires, without looking up from the TV when they walk in.

"Hot. Cheap booze and some sunburn. Your sister can speak Spanish?" Tim asks quizzically.

"Yeah?" Carden says dismissively, like it's obvious. Rae just walks up to him and kisses his forehead.

"I love you munchkin." She mutters. Carden accepts the hugs for a couple seconds then pushes her off.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He says, acting tough. Rae just smiles and puts her hands on her hips.

"Back to homework boys, vacation is over."

 **AN:** For all the cancer survivors out there, especially the ones in my family. Emotional chapter, the next one will be a little bit more upbeat, I promise. Please tell me what you think! Review, follow, favorite, etc!


	24. College Talks

"Door!" Carden yells, when there's knocking.

"If you had time to yell about it, why don't you have time to open it?" Rae chides, opening it. "Billy." She says, startled.

"Hey Rae. I have something to show you." Billy says and she raises her eyebrows. He hands her a letter and she skims it. "Is this a letter of interest from Oklahoma?" She demands.

"It is." Billy says and she rereads it, stunned. "I know Tim's opened it, I found it in his bedroom desk drawer. He must have gotten it when the season started. What if there's more?" Billy asks excitedly and Rae puts a hand over her mouth then shakes her head.

"I don't know." She admits.

"Has he said anything to you?" Billy asks and she shakes her head.

"No, not a word. Not a single word… Typical Tim." She mutters and looks up at him. "Do you want me to talk to him about it?" Billy nods.

"Yeah, I think so. Feel him out. We can talk more about it later." He says, nodding. Rae nods.

"And send me any more of the letters he gets, ok? I'll talk to him." She promises. Billy nods and leaves. Tim walks in, slams the door, and throws his football bag on the floor. Rae sees it and rolls her eyes, knowing that this frustrated gesture more than likely means Tim has had another meltdown.

"Should I get Coach Taylor on text alert every time you quit the team so I can get a heads-up?" She calls as he rifles through the fridge in search of a beer, swearing the entire time.

"I didn't quit, I got kicked off, and I don't need this right now. I'm fucking pissed." He says, glaring at her from above the fridge door.

"Hi, fucking pissed, I'm don't give a shit." She says cheerfully, unyielding. "You missed a week of practice and two games, including a game that they lost and probably needed you in. Did you think Coach was going to welcome you back with sunshine and roses? You knew there were going to be consequences when you went to Mexico. Deal with it." She says sternly.

"Rae, I don't need to hear this shit from you!" He yells, slamming the fridge and opening the can.

"Yes you do!" She yells right back. "I'm the only one who cares about you for you, Tim Riggins! I don't care about you getting your head out of your ass because you're my star fullback. I don't care about you because you're my little brother and I have to because you're blood. I care about you because I love you and I want a future with you!" He puts down his beer and picks her up, setting her on the counter. "Do not kiss me. I am still mad at you." She warns him but he ignores her and kisses her until she's gasping.

"I'll fix it." He promises. "But until that, indulge me." He whispers roughly, fingers pulling at her shirt, and she nods.

* * *

"I have an idea." She announces as she makes supper.

"What's that baby?" He asks distractedly, flipping through channels on the TV. Rae frowns and stands in front of it.

"There's a new kid on the football team. Santiago." She informs and he gives her a strange look.

"How do you know him?" He asks and she shrugs.

"He's speaks better Spanish than English. Since this godforsaken school doesn't offer any Spanish classes even though you live how far from the border, I'm teaching him English and he's making sure my Spanish stays where it was. And I think you should teach him football." She tells him.

"Why would I do that Rae?" He asks, leaning so he can see the TV again. Rae refuses to budge.

"Because maybe it'll show Coach that you're capable of caring about someone other than yourself for five minutes." She says shortly.

"That's not fair. You know I care about you and Car." He says heatedly and Rae rolls her eyes.

"I meant someone on the team, dumbass." She says, shaking her head and walking back to the kitchen. "Considering you've walked out on that team more times than I can count."

"I don't like you hanging around felons." Tim mutters, settling back on the couch and switching to a sports channel.

"I hang around you, don't I?" She points out and he twists, giving her a look. She just smirks. "Billy stopped by today."

"What for?" Tim asks, focused on the TV.

"You got a letter of interest from Oklahoma." She says, pulling out pots and pans. He grunts. "Were you going to tell me at any point?"

"Leave it Rae." He mutters and she raises her eyebrow.

"Tim, you're a senior. I am too. Maybe we should start looking at schools?" She suggests.

"Hey, go start the grill. I'll make my chicken that you like so much." He says and she throws her hands up, going outside.

* * *

They sit in Mrs. Taylor's office the next day, Tim squirming as Rae lounges next to him.

"Sit still." Rae hisses, smacking his knee.

"I don't want to be here." He hisses right back, knees bouncing up and down in agitation.

"Really? Because I vaguely recall you promising me that you would fix it." She reminds him.

"You know what I remember? The part afterwards where you couldn't stop saying my name." He says slyly, smirking and she smacks him on the back of his head with an eye roll.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late." Mrs. Taylor says, rushing in, sitting down and messing with the files. "Rae, how's your brother?"

"Oh, he's great." Rae says sweetly. "I'm pretty surprised, he's doing really well on the middle school football team, so he's not as wild at home. He still eats like a horse though."

"Yeah, well bring him over anytime, I think Erik really enjoys having a boy in the house for once." She invites warmly. "And Tim, how are you?" She asks, giving Tim a skeptical look.

"Good." Tim says, head down.

"How was your little vacation to Mexico?" She asks briskly and he glares at Rae through his hair. She doesn't appear to have much sympathy for him. "Cause you missed two biology exams, and what looks like a pretty important term paper in your English Lit class." She says, snapping the file shut. "And where was his tutor during this time?" She demands, turning her gaze onto Rae. "So let's start there." Tim looks at Rae, who folds her arms.

"I'm sorry?" He tries.

"You're going to be held back a year if you don't get it together." Mrs. Taylor informs him. "And I sure as hell know you won't care, so what's your girlfriend gonna make you do about it?" She asks and Rae raises her eyebrows. Tim looks back and forth between them.

"I thought you were on my side." He accuses Rae, who doesn't flinch and looks at him evenly.

"I'm always on your side, even if it means taking someone else's who might seem like they're against you." She tells him and he rubs his head. "And Mrs. Taylor, I remember last year sitting in here and telling you that I could tutor him because I wasn't a rally girl that he could manipulate to do his bidding then have sex with. And while I may be having sex with him now, there's not a chance in hell he could ever get me to do his homework for him." She says boldly.

"Rae, she doesn't need to know that!" Tim whispers hotly. Rae shushes him dismissively.

"I've brought his grades up once before and I can do it again. I know you don't like Tim and that's ok because sometimes I don't either, but I know you have faith in him like I do. If you'll let me straighten him out, I promise you he will walk across that stage. Because if there's the slightest chance that he's going to college, I am going to see it through." She vows. Mrs. Taylor nods.

"Rae, that sounds just fine to me." She says, putting his file away and Tim looks up hopefully.

"Now can I go talk to your husband about getting him back on that team? Because I cannot have the amount of sex that it's going to take to motivate him to actually do homework." She says honestly.

"I swear to God Rae." Tim says, mortified, grabbing her and dragging her out of the office.

* * *

She's making supper when someone knocks.

"Nose goes!" Carden yells and Tim groans, not even bothering to try. He pulls the door open, revealing Smash.

"Hey Smash." Rae calls, leaning back to see him from the kitchen. "Are you eating with us?"

"Damn Riggins, you got a girl that cooks for you. How'd you set that up?" Smash asks, grinning and waving at Rae.

"What do you want, Smash?" Tim asks suspiciously, blocking the door so Smash can't get in.

"I wanted to talk to you. Have dinner." Smash nods towards Rae's general area. "Talk about how you're messing this team up."

"Oh, you mean the team that I'm not on?" Tim points out. Rae rolls her eyes and walks over to try and push Tim out of the way. He refuses to budge against Rae's shoving.

"Look, I got no fullback cause of your drunk, selfish ass." Smash accuses. "And we're having dinner tonight so I can talk some sense into you."

"Hope you like meatballs." Rae says cheerfully, still struggling against Tim's large frame to no result.

"Ooh, I love me some meatballs. You need help?" He offers, squeezing past Tim easily and following her to the kitchen.

"You can stir the gravy please." She says, smiling at him. Tim looks to Carden for some support. The teenager shrugs helplessly.

"What I'm saying is, Coach Taylor needs to see you take it up a notch." Smash insists, stabbing another meatball.

"I talked to coach, he said no, that's it, and it's out of my hands." Tim says flatly, arms folded, refusing to eat.

"So that's it, you just gonna give up?" Smash asks, squinting at him and gesturing with the speared meatball.

"I don't know what else to tell you." Tim says, shaking his head. "He said no." Carden and Rae are both watching in interest, as the boys go back and forth, like they're at tennis match.

"Look, look, we a lot different, you and me. Me? I'm the Smash, I'm primetime, I'm 24/7." He boasts.

"Right." Tim says, rolling his eyes, annoyed as always with Smash's big talk and bravo.

"And you? You that brooding, rough, whatever." He says, struggling for the right words. "Look, the point is, neither of us can be who we are without football. It's the keys to the ignition. Right Rae?" He asks, winking at her. She just raises her eyebrows, eating her meatball. "And if you don't fight for that, you're just wasting a whole lot of potential, that's all." He says, shrugging, Tim watches him, face unreadable. He blinks then gets up and kisses Rae's head. He disappears to the bathroom.

"Very cute speech. Touching, really." Rae compliments Smash. He looks at the bathroom door then at Rae.

"Is he gonna listen to me?" Smash asks her. She shrugs, taking another bite of her meatball.

"I love the kid, but fuck if I know." She says, laughing slightly.

 **AN:** Ok, I'm likely going to cut back updates to Monday, Wednesday, Friday, since midterms are coming up and I will be in a flurry of panic the entire time. That being said, I love writing this story for you guys, so please leave me your thoughts, pretty pretty please!


	25. Coach Riggins

"Darling, I love you." Rae says quietly as they watch a man wrestling with a calf and everyone around them cheers.

"What's the but?" He asks, taking a drink of his beer.

"But why are we here?" She says and he grins down at her.

"This is Texas, Rae. Rodeo and ribs and beer and football." He says, gesturing grandly to the stands full of people.

"I like none of those things." Rae reminds him and he gives her a look. "I'm just telling you things you already knew."

"There's a dance afterwards, do you like that?" He asks and she makes a face. "Then we don't gotta go."

"If you want to listen to some grey haired man sing bad covers of old country songs, feel free. I want to go home and light some candles." She says and he chokes on his beer. "Oh, you like that, don't you?" She says out of the corner of her mouth. Tim nods quickly.

"Alright, we watch the next guy and then we go." He says, downing his beer. Rae smiles smugly.

* * *

"If you want to leave, we can." Rae suggests to Julie as they watch Matt flirt with the new girl at Jason's birthday party.

"No, I'm fine." Julie says with a sigh.

"If it makes you feel better, she's a complete slut." Tyra comments and Julie shakes her head.

"Oddly enough, it doesn't." She says broodingly. As they walk out of the party, Rae puts her arm around her.

"I know it sucks." She says quietly.

"Why? It's not like we're together or anything." Julie reminds her, but there's sadness in her tone. Julie suddenly freezes, looking into a red car. Rae follows her gaze and sees Matt kissing the dark haired girl.

"Jules, Jules, hey." Rae says quickly, pulling her away. "C'mon, let's go get the biggest gallon of chocolate ice cream and we can watch terrible TV shows until three in the morning."

"Sure." Julie says, struggling with tears. Rae catches Tim's eye as she guides Julie to her car. He sees Julie whipping away tears and flashes her a thumbs up. She blows him a kiss and climbs in.

* * *

Tim takes another swig of his beer and stares at the field broodingly. He watches as a boy with tattoos and a dark cutoff runs and tries to push the blocking sled downfield. He's struggling and has terrible technique. Tim remembers Rae's suggestion and get up with a groan.

"Hey wait. Stop." He calls, walking over. "Stop, before you just hurt yourself, alright?" He orders. Santiago ignores him and runs again. "Hey, uh, you know you're not on the team right?" He asks.

"I know." Santiago says, crouching in his stance again.

"Are you trying to break your neck by keeping your head down like that?" He points out.

"Hey, everybody's gotta start somewhere, homie. Right?" Santiago says and runs again.

"Hey, let me ask you something." Tim says quietly. Santiago looks at him quizzically, eyebrows furrowed. "Are you in any way, shape, or form trying to screw my girl Rae or Lyla Garrity?"

"She's my friend, dog, alright?" Santiago says instantly, getting defensive. "She's my friend. And Rae's just helping me out with English homework. I know she's your girl." He hits the blocking sled in frustration.

"You want a couple pointers?" Tim calls. "Or are you gonna try and break your neck?" Santiago takes a step back and Tim takes off his sunglasses, stepping up. "Ok. We hit with purpose."

Rae walks by the field watching as Tim holds the pads as Santiago hits him repeatedly. She leans against the fence, smiling. She watches as Matt and Smash joins them and then Coach Taylor.

"Not even close!" Coach yells in response to Tim's question if he's on the team. They run a couple more plays until he jogs over to her, grinning.

"Hey." He says, grabbing her face and kissing her.

"That was adorable. I could get used to watching Coach Riggins." She teases, kissing his nose.

"I just want to get back to being the fullback Tim Riggins." He grumbles, making an annoyed face.

"You want something, you go for it. I haven't seen you fail yet." She compliments sweetly.

"Is that a roundabout way of complimenting yourself by saying I'm lucky to have you?" He asks and she laughs.

"I love you, Tim Riggins. I have a feeling you'll be a fullback again soon enough." She says coyly, taking his hand and walking with him.

* * *

"You wanted to see me Mrs. Taylor?" Rae asks, sticking her head around the doorframe.

"Yeah Rae, come in, come in." She says, waving. Rae steps in and closes the door softly. "How are you sweetie?"

"I'm good, thanks." Rae says, smiling and sitting. Mrs. Taylor nods then pulls open her file.

"I just wanted to talk to you about a couple things Rae. Like, what you said the other day." Rae looks at her, not understanding. "With Tim?" She tries.

"About tutoring?" Rae asks, confused. Mrs. Taylor shakes her head, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"No Rae, the other stuff." She says and Rae goes pink.

"Mrs. Taylor-" She protests.

"Rae, Rae, I love you like my own daughter. I've been watching out for you since the day Julie came home and told me there was a girl at the school living without her mama and taking care of her little brother all by herself. I love you and I want to take care of you. So I want to make sure that you're protecting yourself because I know you love Gracie but you do not want one." She finishes. Rae buries her face in her hands.

"Mrs. Taylor, I promise you that Tim and I do everything we can to protect ourselves. I love him but I do not want his children." She promises, face red. Mrs. Taylor lets out a sigh of relief.

"Well, that's a relief because your academics are outstanding." Mrs. Taylor says, grinning at her. Rae blushes in pride. "You're getting A's in all of your classes, with a full time job, and I know that you're the only person that takes care of Carden. How do you do it?" She mutters and Rae shrugs.

"I have to." She says softly. Mrs. Taylor nods in understanding.

"Well, how are college applications going?" She asks and Rae nods.

"I've applied to Duluth, Bemidji, the U of M," She lists off. Mrs. Taylor cuts her off with a sigh.

"Rae, all of those colleges are in Minnesota." She says softly. Rae nods slowly. "Rae, what is Carden gonna do without you?" Rae sighs and fiddles with her elephant necklace.

"He's got friends here. He'll be fifteen. He can take care of himself." She says, unsurely. Mrs. Taylor gives her sad look.

"Rae."

"Or I'll take him with me. I can get off campus housing, work after my classes, get a roommate or two, make rent, enroll him up there, get him back on the ice. I'm eighteen so I can apply for legal guardianship. I can make it work, I always have." She insists stubbornly.

"Can you really uproot him again?" She asks Rae, who snorts.

"No offense Mrs. Taylor, but my dad uprooted him. I'll just be taking him home with me, where he belongs." She says firmly.

"Rae, you can get into any school in Texas with these grades. And at risk of making you sound needy or dependent, where's Tim going?" She asks. Rae sighs, rubbing her face tiredly.

"Mrs. Taylor, I love Tim, and I would love to turn on the TV and see him playing for some college team, but if your husband doesn't put him back on the team, he's not going to college. Fact." She says shortly. Mrs. Taylor nods.

"Well Rae, keep up the good work. Get back to class, we'll see where it goes this year." She says and Rae nods, leaving.

"I talked to Mrs. Taylor today." Tim informs her as they sit in the kitchen after school.

"Yeah me too." Rae mutters, thinking about all the points she'd brought up. "How'd yours go?"

"I asked her to talk to coach and put me back on the team." He says.

"Yeah me too." Rae says, kissing his head.

"I miss being around the guys. I hate being here after school and not on that field." He says miserably.

"I'm not taking offense to that because I know what kind of things you're going through, but I want you to know my feelings are slightly hurt." She informs him, taking her homework outside. Tim groans and grabs a beer.

* * *

"You haven't heard yet?" Lois asks Julie as she sits down. "Yeah, your mom got into it with him." Rae listens without any real interest until Julie gets up and storms away. Rae groans and hits Lois's arm.

"Lois!" She hisses.

"I thought it was for the best." Lois protests. "She should know that her mom got in screaming match with him."

"Sweetie, it's a good thing you're pretty because I'm sorry but you're not very smart." Rae says tiredly.

* * *

"Are you watching Dirty Dancing for the billionth time?" Carden demands, walking in after football practice.

"Do not mock this movie. It's a classic." Tim chides sternly and Carden rolls his eyes, shutting the TV off.

"Get up Tim. Go play football." He says flatly.

"Carden." Tim says warningly.

"No, don't 'Carden' me! Mais works her ass off day in and day out just to make sure I can eat at night and you're watching a terrible 80's movie for the billionth time. Did you know that the other night I found her looking at colleges in Texas?" Carden informs him and Tim looks at him, shocked.

"She hates Texas." He says. Carden laughs humorlessly and nods.

"Yeah, but she said you love it and she owes it to you to just look at places, to see if they're nearby. And now, you owe it to her to get your ass on that field so you can make her proud." With that, Carden turns the TV on, opens the fridge, heats up the leftovers, and goes to his room to eat, leaving Tim Riggins stunned and speechless as the TV continues to play.

"Rae I love you." Tim says, kissing her forehead in the kitchen. Rae looks up at him in surprise.

"I love you too?" She says unsurely, wary of where this might be going.

"I said sorry." He informs her, downing a beer. "I said sorry to everyone. And coach let me back on the team."

"Oh thank god." She says, relieved.

"But I'll be bringing home extra laundry cause he's got me doing chores." He calls, heading to the backyard where Carden is.

"Like hell you are!" She yells out the door. "I'm not doing anything you're suppose to be doing Tim Riggins! And I'm sure as hell not doing any more laundry than I already have! Tim! Tim? Tim!"

 **AN:** I can write this whole story but I struggle to come up with ways to ask you guys to review, favorite, follow, etc. Irony? Anyways, please do all those things! Thank you for reading!


	26. Going to Church

She stands at the game, finally watching her number 33 on the field, smiling proudly at the sight.

"You must be proud." Mrs. Taylor comments, touching her shoulder. Rae watches as Tim jogs off the field, cheering at their amazing comeback win. She's standing next to her and Julie, holding Gracie.

"Yeah." She says softly when he looks up at her, with crossed fingers. She raises her fingers as well. "I'm pretty damn proud of him."

"You bringing him to Gracie's christening?" Mrs. Taylor asks, smiling at her. Rae stutters, surprised at the offer.

"Mrs. Taylor, I haven't been to church in a long time." She finally admits, looking at Gracie so she doesn't have to look up.

"So? It's not about the church Rae, it's about the fact that you're like Gracie's other big sister." Mrs. Taylor says firmly, kissing Gracie's head then kissing Rae's forehead as well.

"Does Tim Riggins even own church clothes?" Julie wonders thoughtfully and they all laugh.

* * *

"Tim, don't lie to me if you can't actually tie a tie." She requests, brushing Carden's hair in the bathroom. Tim appears in the doorway, with a tangled tie at his throat and a crabby expression.

"Ok, I'm not lying." He deadpans and Rae groans and throws her hands up while Carden doubles over in laughter.

"Not funny Carden." Rae threatens. "Go load up the car while I try to fix this mess. Don't forget Gracie's gift. What did you do?" She frets, trying to figure out where to even start.

"Rae, I haven't been to church in years." He says, looking up so she has better access to his tie.

"That makes two of us." She mutters, pecking at the tie futilely. "Three, if Carden was here to input."

"When was the last time you went?" He asks, looking down at her. She grunts and pushes his chin back up.

"When my mom got diagnosed for the second time. I told her that her God could shove it and I was putting my faith in something else." She informs him, finally fixing the tie.

"Yeah? And what's your faith in now?" He asks, looking at her. She looks up at him then smiles slowly.

"You, Tim Riggins. I put my faith in you a long time ago." She says sweetly, kissing his nose.

"That dress looks real nice on you." He says and she smiles, shimming her hips slightly. "Oh, don't do that to me before taking me to church." He groans lowly, ensnaring her in his arms.

"Afterwards." She mutters, giving him a kiss. They sit through the service and Mrs. Taylor smiles at them and Mr. Taylor shakes Tim's hand and tells him he cleans up pretty nice. And afterwards, as they walk hand in hand, as Carden tosses the football with some buddies, Tim looks down at her.

"Do you think I could get into some of those Minnesota schools you're always talking about?" He asks offhandedly. Rae looks up at him, startled.

"What?" She demands. He shrugs.

"My 18th birthday is coming up. We could become guardians of Car. I could apply up there, we could move, bring Car with us. Get a house, he could finally play hockey again. You know, just like you've always had planned. I mean, if Oklahoma is looking at me, won't some of your Minnesota schools look at me?" He says thoughtfully and Rae stares up at him, speechless. "You don't have to say anything, just think about it, ok?" He says then darts in and picks the ball from out of Carden's hands, laughing when he protests. Rae watches him tussle with the neighborhood boys, absolutely wordless.

* * *

"Thanks for letting us stay with you, Mrs. Taylor. If the storm wasn't so bad, we'd be out of your hair." Rae insists, watching the rain pour down.

"Rae, you're fine." She says dismissively then lowers her voice. "Besides, who knew how good Tim Riggins was with babies?" They watch him holding Gracie above him head, making faces at her. She gurgles and reaches for him.

"He makes sure it's a closely guarded secret, I can promise you that." Rae asks, grinning.

"So they have you at tight end, correct?" Mr. Taylor demands of Carden, who nods seriously. They're seated at the kitchen table, intently discussing football, nearly oblivious to the storm raging outside.

"Yes sir." He says earnestly.

"Alright, come here, let's look at your plays." He says and Carden jumps at the chance.

"Sometimes I think he wishes I was a boy." Julie says thoughtfully, watching him point things out to Carden.

"Don't all dads?" Rae points out, amused.

"I don't know. Gracie's pretty cool. I wouldn't mind having a girl." Tim says and Rae looks at him in disbelief. They're all laughing at the idea of Tim with a daughter, when the sirens starting going off.

"Is that for a tornado?" Julie asks lowly.

"Bathroom. Now." Mr. Taylor orders and they all scramble, Tim protectively holding Gracie's head. They crouch in the bathroom. Mrs. Taylor is cradling Gracie while Julie is curled next to her. Mr. Taylor has his arms around them.

On the other wall, Carden is holding tight to Rae, who is huddled under the protective arms of Tim. When the power goes out, Rae reaches out her hand and Julie grabs it, hanging onto it tightly.

"I love you." Tim whispers in her ear. "You too, Car." He says, as the sirens wail and the windows howl.

"You're my big brother Tim." Carden says, trying not to tremble, but his body betrays him.

"I know buddy." Tim says, squeezing them in a hug. They remain in the bathroom long after the sirens stop sounding. Finally, Mr. Taylor stands.

"Tim, come with me, lets go check it out." He orders and Tim kisses Rae and rubs Carden's head, then follows him.

"You guys ok?" Carden asks, scooting over, once the men are gone. "Is Gracie ok? Is she scared?" He asks and Mrs. Taylor laughs shakily.

"Yeah, yeah, I think she's fine, she's too little to know. She sure does see how strong you are though, Carden. I wish she had a strong older brother like you to watch out for her." She says, talking just to fill the silence. Rae slides over and pulls Julie into a tight hug. They rock back and forth, until Tim and Mr. Taylor come back and promise that it's safe.

"Hey, Mr. Taylor?" Rae asks quietly as Tim ponders over the cable box and instructs Carden on what to do. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure Rae, what do you need?" He asks without looking, clicking the remote with a vengeance.

"Tim… Tim's getting some interest from colleges… I mean, it's pretty basic and they're not begging him by any means, but still. And I know Tim's not really college material, but I wanted…Wanted to ask you what I should do. To help him." She stammers and he finally looks up, slightly incredulous.

"Tim Riggins? College?" He says and she nods.

"I know. I know. It's insane. But hear me out. His grades are… Ok? Maybe? But he can play and you know that. What can I do?" She asks and he takes a deep breath, scratching his head.

"You can do a highlight reel. Talk to some recruiters. Have you do the talking, rather than him. What colleges are you thinking?" He asks and she shuffles her feet, biting her lip.

"Uh, Duluth, Bemidji, the U, those kinds of schools." She admits. His eyebrows fly up and she shakes her head.

"Well, see if you can get them interested. Once they're interested, you come to me, I'll help you out." He promises. "Hey!" He shouts when the TV switches from black and white static to Oprah.

"Nicely done." Rae says when Tim comes in, screwdriver in hand, grinning. "Look at you, handyman."

 **AN:** My favorite scene of all time, the tornado, aka Tim Riggins being adorable. Please leave me reviews and thoughts and comments and everything else pretty please!


	27. Lions and Drunk Girls

"Oh, this is so not going to go over well." Julie says, watching red letter-jackets get off the bus.

"I don't see the big deal." Rae says dismissively.

"We play the Laribee Lions in two weeks smarty." Tim says, kissing her head. She frowns up at him.

"I still think it was nice of Coach to offer to share the field with them. Their school is gone." Rae protests.

"No offense Jules, but your dad is an idiot for putting them so close to us." Tim grumbles.

"None taken, I tell him he's an idiot daily." Julie reassures him, laughing, pulling Rae off to class.

"If you get in a fight Tim Riggins you are sleeping on the couch!" She threatens, walking backwards.

"Like you'll enforce that." He says confidently, enjoying the looks he's getting from the other team and surrounding students. She makes as face as she's dragged around the corner and out of sight.

"You're so lucky you have Tim." Julie mutters sadly, as they watch Matt and Carlotta walk hand in hand past the burger joint, laughing at each other. Rae looks up from their homework and sighs.

"Do you wanna borrow him?" She offers. "Cause it'd be nice to free up my Thursday and Monday nights."

"Will you wash him first?" She asks without looking at her and Rae snickers, amused at the answer.

"Yeah, I'll wash him."

They're sitting at lunch the next day, uncomfortably cramped with Laribee students on all sides. The place is loud, but goes quiet in an instant when Landry starts yelling at Tyra and football players from both teams stand up.

There's a moment of near silence, then Landry throws the punch and it's total chaos. Rae instinctively grabs Julie and pulls her out of the way of people streaming by. Suddenly food is flying, teachers are trying desperately to break it up. Rae sees Tim in the middle of it all, grinning.

"I'm gonna kill him." She moans, trying to get the rest of the girls out of the cafeteria unharmed and not covered in gravy.

She's at work when the phone rings.

"It's for you." Her boss says. She takes it, confused as to who would be calling. "Make it quick." He orders.

"Hello?" She asks slowly.

"Rae. Coach Taylor. Riggins started a fight in the weight room tonight." He says, without preamble. Rae covers the receiver, swearing quietly.

"Coach, I am-" She starts.

"But I called to tell you it wasn't his fault. He's a good boy. Don't go too hard on him." He says then hangs up. She stares at the phone then gradually hangs it up, not sure of what just happened.

When she gets home, he's asleep on the couch, beer on the end table and remote in hand. She smiles, setting her bag aside and worming her way into his arms. He resists her for a moment than relaxes.

"Hey." He says sleepily, hugging her close.

"Hey." She says softly. "Coach Taylor called me. He said you started a fight." She says, looking up at him. He doesn't open his eyes.

"They peed on my shirt." He mutters. She stares at him in confusion, but he doesn't laugh or correct himself, so she plunges on.

"He said you're a good boy and I should be nice to you." She informs him, waiting for a correction.

"He stood up for me. It was badass Rae." He says dreamily.

"I bet." She says, amused. They lay in silence for a while then Tim startles her by talking again.

"I don't wanna go to the fall formal. I'd rather go to a house party. But if you wanna go to the fall formal, I will go with you because it's what you want." He says. She grins to herself then shakes her head.

"What brought this up?" She asks interestedly.

"Rally girls." He grumbles. "Said I was ashamed to be seen in public with you. And that you couldn't afford a nice dress."

"So pleasant, those rally girls." She says, rubbing her forehead.

"It's worth more to me that you wear my jersey every Friday night. They can suck it." He says and she bites her lip, amused.

"Well, you know me. I hate all things school related. House party it is." She agrees, kissing him.

* * *

At the party, Tim sees Julie and her friend on the couch and he remembers the moment in the bathroom, her and Rae holding hands in their terror. He feels a swell of protection and pulls the boy away.

"How ya doing?" He asks, forcing a smile on his face.

"Good!" The kid says excitedly.

"Yeah? How's that going?" He asks, looking at Julie, then looking around for Rae who's nowhere to be found.

"Good!" The kid says, grinning. "I think I'm maybe like, one beer away from getting laid."

"No kidding." Tim says, grinning, taking a swig from his solo cup, and trying to resist the urge to punch him in the face.

"Yeah!" The kid says, nodding.

"Nice, that's great." Tim says without paying much attention, judging how drunk Julie is as she giggles on the couch.

"Yeah, she is great." The kid says, watching her with a smile.

"Hey." Tim says, getting his attention. "If you ever look at her, even tonight, again, at school, anytime, for that matter, I swear to god I'll end you." He promises. The kid nods goes pale and hastily tries to make an exit.

"Alright." He gulps.

"We cool?" Tim asks, nonchalantly sipping his drink and signaling to Rae when she wanders in.

"Yeah. Goodnight then." The kid says, trying to walk away as fast as he can. Tim grabs his shirt.

"No seriously. That way." He orders, pushing the kid the opposite way of Julie. Rae stands off to the side, watching with a small smile.

"The big brother she never had." She teases. He rolls his eyes and they both eye Julie as she writhes on the couch. "Ready to try to get her home?"

"Hey. Yeah it's time." He orders of Julie, gesturing to Rae to help him. They manage to get her home, while she jabbers about him and Rae and college. Tim glares at Rae over the top of her head and Rae smiles sheepishly.

"Thanks for letting me borrow Tim." She slurs, once she's in tucked in bed. Rae kisses her forehead.

"Go to bed Jules." She orders, fondly patting her head. Once they're in the car, she starts clapping.

"What's that for?" He asks grumpily, putting the car in drive and heading towards home.

"Tim Riggins, baby and drunk girl wrangler. Who would've thought? Who is the man I fell in love with?" She teases.

"Different, since he fell in love with you." He says, running his fingers through her hair. She smiles up at him then stretches up to kiss him.

"Tim, we gotta talk about the future." She whispers. He kisses her again, one eye still on the road.

"Later. We'll do that later." He insists, tucking her under his arm as they drive through town.

* * *

Rae cheers as Tim runs into the end zone, yet again. He points up to her, hoisting the ball above his head.

"Do you actually like football now?" Julie teases.

"Please, take me to a hockey game and then see what I look like." Rae scoffs, laughing. She watches the final play with her fingers covering her eyes. When the other coach rushes the field and knocks Tim to the ground, she, and the entire stadium, screams in protests.

"What's going on mom?' Julie asks, watching in shock. Rae doesn't realize she's trembling in anger until Julie puts an arm around her.

"I dunno Jules." Mrs. Taylor says honestly, looking around, wide-eyed. "But your daddy isn't going to like this."

After the game, Rae hurries to find Tim. He's joking around with some of the guys, cleaning blood off of his face.

"Are you ok?" She demands, grabbing his face and inspecting it, ignoring the catcalls of the other boys.

"We got the W." He says, shrugging.

"Tim, you got tackled by the other coach! Do not lie to me." She orders sternly. He shakes his head and gently takes her chin.

"We won. You're here. Let's celebrate." He says, pulling her along, winking over his shoulder at his teammates.

 **AN:** Hey guys! I love the feedback I've been getting from you guys- seriously it makes my day. So please keep leaving your thoughts or your wishes for me, they're so much fun to read!


	28. Photo Albums

They go to school, go to work and football, cheer on Carden at his games, and even visit Gracie a couple times. Rae delights in the surprise on everyone's faces when they see Tim Riggins with a baby and Gracie actually having fun with him. During his free period he even stops by the guidance office to watch her for a little bit to give Mrs. Taylor a much-needed break.

"I can't believe he actually was holding a baby." One of the rally girls gossips as a group of them walk by.

"I bet it's because he knocked that bitch of his up. She's always wearing his big sweatshirts. I bet she's hiding the bump." Another one snickers loudly. Rae sighs and rests her head against the lockers.

"Really Sara, ya wanna talk about being pregnant and babies, cause didn't your sister have one with your boyfriend?" Tim calls and the girl turns red and stomps off. "Don't listen to them, you know that I love you in my clothes." He says lowly, hugging her from behind.

"I've been here a year and still I want to murder every single one of them." She mutters, squeezing her eyes shut.

"I've been here my whole life and I still think about it." He reassures her, pulling her away from the lockers. She leans into him, suddenly very tired. "One more year baby then we're out of here." He says, kissing her head and disappearing into his classroom. She stands in the hallways, stunned. Then she makes her way straight for Mrs. Taylor's office.

"I need help." She says wildly, picking up Gracie and rocking her. Mrs. Taylor raises an eyebrow. "I am in love with Tim Riggins." She says, more to Gracie than Mrs. Taylor.

"I know that and you know that, why are you in my office clinging to my daughter like she's your saving grace?" She demands and Rae looks down at Gracie then back up, slowly calming down.

"Because I love him and I would actually go to a school in Texas if that meant I could keep him by my side. And that is terrifying. That I would keep myself in this god-awful place, so far away from my mom's grave and people that actually care. All because some long haired idiot with puppy eyes and a crooked smile took my heart and ran with it, all the way into the end zone." She rambles. Mrs. Taylor smiles and gets up, hugging her gently.

"I can take a look at some schools for you." She promises.

"I'm an idiot." Rae mutters, kissing Gracie's head gently. "An idiot Gracie, who fell in love with an idiot, who is eighteen years old and wants to spend forever with this idiot. So idiotic of me."

"Rae, I promise you, we'll figure it out." She says, holding her arms out for Gracie. Rae relinquishes her hold on her and takes a deep breath. "Go to class." Mrs. Taylor suggests. Rae nods and goes.

* * *

Tim walks in with his hood up. Rae looks at him then does a double take, trying to see his face.

"Tim…" She says slowly, walking towards him.

"Rae." He warns, putting his hands up defensively. "Don't panic."

"You tell me not to panic Tim Riggins, I am more apt to panic. Do not tell me not to panic because I will panic if I find it necessary." She warns, reaching up for his hood and pulling it down.

His eyes are closed, mostly because one eye is black and blue. He has a gash across his forehead and more on his arms, and when he turns to try and brush past her, the back of his head is bloody as well.

Rae screams and it goes on for a while, one high, unbroken scream. Tim flinches at the noise. Carden crashes out of his room, hockey stick in hand. He promptly drops the stick at the sight of Tim's bloody face. He doesn't scream but he does stumble back, eyes wide.

"Rae, quit screaming." Tim says, grabbing her arms and shaking her slightly to get her attention. "I'm fine."

"YOU ARE NOT FINE TIM RIGGINS THIS IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF FINE I SWEAR TO GOD WHO DID THIS TO YOU I AM GOING TO KILL THEM GET IN THE CAR I AM TAKING YOU TO THE HOSPITAL THIS INSTANT!" She shrieks, her voice so high both he and Carden flinch.

"No hospital." He orders calmly. "Car, get some towels, ice, that kind of stuff. Rae, I'm gonna tell you something and do not freak out."

"If you haven't noticed it already TIM RIGGINS I AM FREAKING OUT THIS VERY SECOND!" She says shrilly.

"Billy couldn't make rent. You had just bought new cleats for Carden and we had gone to Austin for the day." He says calmly, ignoring the fact that she is nearly hyperventilating. "I kinda stole the cash from a guy I knew a long time ago. He makes meth right now. Him and his buddies beat me up. Please calm down." He requests. She just stares at him.

"Carden." She says quietly. He freezes, ice packs and towels in hand. "Go into your room. Put in your headphones, read a book, do homework, do not come out until I tell you." She orders, not looking at him.

"Uhh…" He hesitates, holding the towel and ice unsurely.

"Carden I swear on mom's grave that if you don't do exactly as I say you will not live to see the sun come up tomorrow." She says and he drops the stuff instantly and runs for his room, slamming the door. "Get in the tub." She commands Tim, pointing to the bathroom.

"Rae, I'm not three!" He complains.

"GET IN THE TUB!" She bellows and he gingerly pulls his sweatshirt off and undresses. She watches him, her mouth a hard line. She runs the water and he looks at her, confused. She gestures to it and he climbs in, flinching at the heat. He sits in it, soaking, while she sits on the toilet, in silence.

"Rae." He says softly, nervous. He's never seen her eyes so dull and emotionless. She turns and looks at him, face flat. He reaches out a hand and she takes it. He gently rubs her fingers with his thumb, until a little color comes back into her face. She shakes her head and stands up.

"Go under." She says tenderly. When he comes up, Rae is undressing. She climbs in and he eyes her unsurely. "Come here mister." She says, taking the towel and whipping his face, gently cleaning up his wounds. He sits there, as she cleans him up and rubs his back. He buries his face in her shoulder and actually lets her hold him for once.

"Are you mad at me?" He asks, climbing out and wrapping a towel around his waist. Rae, still in the tub, raises an eyebrow.

"What do you think Tim Riggins? Use that brain of yours, that I know you can." She says calmly and he sighs.

"You're pretty pissed aren't you?" He asks warily. She just stands up and gestures for a towel. "I like it better when you're hollering, you're damn scary when you're quiet."

"Put on clean clothes. I want you to meet someone." She says, not looking him, getting dressed.

"I'm not exactly in the shape to go parading around town." He points out, inspecting his face in the mirror.

"Good thing we're not leaving the house." She says and he stares at her, uncomprehending. "Do it." When he's finally dressed, she leads him to a closet in the living room. She drags a huge box out and opens it up, pulling scrapbook after scrapbook out, filled with pictures.

"Rae, what's this?" He asks curiously, kneeling next to her. He's never seen any photo albums around her house before.

"I want you to meet my mom." She says, not looking at him. Stunned, he sits back on his heels and pulls one album toward him, flipping it open.

The first picture is Rae, jumping off of a dock, no older than 10, limbs too long for her body. The one below that is a younger Carden, destroying a sandcastle. The caption next to is in sprawling handwriting, faded from time and almost too messy to be read.

'Maisie Rae, 9, loves the water and isn't scared of the big fish her dad teases her about.'

The one next to Carden reads,

'Carden, 4, is too busy being a boy and stomping on things to even smile for his mama'.

He looks at the other page and a younger version of Rae's father is grinning, at the grill, turning hamburgers. And the one below it is her mother.

She's got Rae's long blonde hair and high cheekbones. Carden's sharp jawline and slightly pointed nose. She's sitting at a picnic table, smiling up at the camera and he's taken aback.

"That's your smile." He says, looking at Rae, realizing how much they look alike. She smiles sadly, gently touching the picture.

"They always told me just how much I was like her." She says faintly. "Ever since I was little, that's all I heard."

"Yeah, you do look like her." He agrees, flipping the pages, finally getting a glance into her past. All over the place are notes written by her mother, about Rae not liking spicy pickles, Carden getting a splinter and not even crying when they pulled it out, how Rae loves to dance more than anything.

"I wanted to show you these because I understand why you would do anything to protect Billy. And because I thought it was high time that we figured out what we want to do with our future. Because I'm tossing my lot in with yours. I'll do anything for you, you idiot." She explains.

"I'm not an idiot." He mutters, still fascinated by the photos. She rolls her eyes and continues regardless.

"Even when you come home after being beat up by meth heads. I will clean you up and take care of you. But I ask that you don't do it to me very often. Because it kills me to see you hurt. I will pull the money you need out my savings and I'll cover it. But in return, I want you to think about college and do everything you possibly can to get there. That is when I'll forgive you." She offers. He nods, setting the book aside and pulling her in for a hug.

"Anything for you." He whispers.

"Good. Now clean these up, they upset Carden." She says, getting up, wiping tears from her eyes. He nods and does as told. Then Rae goes and gets Carden from his room.

Rae walks across the yard and knocks on Billy's door. Tim stands behinds her, raking his hand through his hair. Billy answers, looking at them, confused. Rae hands him the envelope full of cash. He looks down at the money then quickly up at her, shocked.

"Rent. If those guys lay a hand on Tim's head again, I will murder them. Fact." She vows, folding her arms.

"Rae-" Billy starts but Rae just turns and spins, walking away. "You sure can pick um." Billy calls to Tim, who shrugs and follows Rae.

 **AN:** Another favorite Tim Riggins moment... Why is he almost more attractive when he's been beaten up? Please review and tell me what you guys think. I'm so glad my whole smushing seasons 2 and 3 is working well for you all, please favorite and follow and all that good stuff!


	29. Saying Sorry

They get the news of Smash during the week and it's all anyone can talk about. Tim is in a bad mood and despite her best efforts; Rae can't bring him out of it. So she resorts to her last ditch attempt- she gives him a full, deep massage after practice, something that always puts him nearly to sleep.

"Do you know why I fell in love with you?" She asks softly, kissing his neck and shoulders.

"Because I am perfect?" He mutters sleepily.

"Because you have long hair." She says, laughing.

"Is that a metaphor for my penis?" He wonders aloud and she flicks his ear in protest, laughing.

"No!" She insists. "It's a Minnesota thing. You have long hair, you're big and tough, and if you could stand on a pair of skates without almost breaking your ankles, I would fall in love with you right here and now." She says sweetly.

"You already said you loved me, what is the point of this?" He asks, suddenly twisting around so she's sitting on his stomach.

"To inform you that when I insulted your haircut that first day I met you it was my childish way of saying that I found you adorable and always wanted to do this right here." She says then kisses his neck, ears, and lips.

"Yeah, I'm glad you want to do that." Tim murmurs, removing her shirt, making her squeal.

* * *

"Well, hello, stranger." Rae says, looking up when Tim stumbles in. "Where in the hell have you been?"

"Landing strip." He says, squinting into the fridge and emerging with leftover wings that he eats cold.

"And why the hell has my boyfriend been at the infamous Dillon strip club?" She asks, staring at him, open-mouthed.

"Hey, hey, hey." He says, slumping against the doorway and gesturing with a wing. "Seven is going through a break up. And it's my job to help him get over it." He slurs and Rae stands up.

"Well, congratulations Tim Riggins. Aren't you a savior for the broken hearted? You might as well go back to that strip club, cause you're damn close to having your own break up to get over. " She hisses, snatching the wings away from him and hauling him up by the ear.

"Rae, don't be like this." He insists, trying to pull her into a hug. She ducks him and stands at arm's length.

"Get out of my house." She orders. He gapes at her. "Sleep at Billy's. Sleep on the porch. Fuck, sleep at Tyra's or Lyla's or maybe the strip club. It's not like I give a shit anymore." She slams her bedroom door and he groans when he hears the click of the lock.

The next morning she opens the door and finds him curled up on the porch. She nudges him with her toe and he startles awake. He stares at her blearily then sits up, pushing his hair back.

"Rae," He says instantly. "I'm sorry, alright, I'm sorry and I wanted to wake you up with pancakes and French toast and eggs like Carson likes and I'm sorry." He says hurriedly.

"No, Tim." She says tiredly. "Get up. Go to school. You've got a game. I'm over it. I'm done."

"You make it sound like you're done with me." He says quietly and she sighs, looking away from him.

"Maybe I should be." She says softly, not meeting his eye.

"Rae." He scrambles up. "Don't do this."

"Don't do what, Tim? Fall in love with a guy so identical to my father that I can guess where my life is going to go? A guy that comes home late and smells like booze and strippers? That won't be my life. It will not be my life." She vows fiercely and he slides his hand onto the nape of her neck.

"And it won't be." He promises. "Rae, I try to be a better man for you. Sometimes I slip. Sometimes I fall. But every day I try. Because I want all that you want and I will do anything for it. Anything to make you happy, Maisie Rae." He says and Rae closes her eyes. "Never again."

"Promise?" She whispers.

"Every damn day."

* * *

They win the next game easily, despite the drama with Smash. Tim leads her off the field with a thousand kisses and treats her like a princess for the next week. She wakes up to breakfast. He does the laundry. He even cleans the gutters and comes home early.

"Alright, you're off the hook." Rae says, stretching up onto her tippy toes and hugging Tim from behind as he does the dishes.

"What?" He asks, twisting to look at her.

"I said you're off the hook. Being a contrite man does not suit you, Tim Riggins." She says, kissing his nose.

"Rae, I was never on the hook." He says and she raises an eyebrow. "Well, you were mad at me, but I mean I'm not just doing this to make sure you're not angry at me. You deserve this. This is the kind of man you deserve."

"Huh." She says thoughtfully, leaning her forehead on his chest. He kisses the top of her head.

"Can you dry?" He mutters and she leans back with a raised eyebrow. He smirks and she smacks him, picking up a dishtowel.

* * *

"Think that'll ever be me?" Carden asks, watching the game and as Tim and rest of them blow them out of the water.

"Do… Do you want that to be you?" Rae asks him, stunned. He shrugs, cheering as Landry scores.

"Wouldn't suck." He admits. Rae strides towards Tm on the field confidently.

"Good game baby. Playoffs. Another year, another run at state." She says sweetly, kissing his nose.

"Gonna put another one of these around you neck." He says, lifting the chain that holds his state ring.

"I don't know, two would be pretty heavy." She teases and he raises an eyebrow. "But I'll handle it."

"Yeah, I bet you will." He says, kissing her temple as he walks with her to the locker room.

"Hey, Tim, we gotta talk." She says quietly. "About… About… College? Ok? No?" She calls as he ditches her, running after Matt and smacking his helmet, cheering. She sighs.

"C'mon baby, we got a party!" He yells over his shoulder and she rests her head against his truck.

* * *

"Tim." She whispers in the morning, poking his side. "Wake up."

"I'm awake woman, what in the hell do you want?" He grumbles.

"We gotta talk." She insists.

"Can we talk when I'm not hung over?" He asks and she frowns, elbowing him hard in the ribs.

"No, now." She says sternly when he groans in protest. "Tim, you could actually go to college here. We might actually make this work. We need to think about this, we need to consider our options."

"Hey, I got Billy and Jay working on a highlight reel." He proclaims and she stares at him.

"You… You do?"

"Yeah, they've been working on it. We can go over there tonight and look at it if you want. Billy was gonna send it out to all the schools in Texas but if you want to send it to those Minnesota schools, I'll give you a couple copies." He promises, with an arm over his eyes.

"That'd… That'd be great Tim." She says, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, ok. Can you make pancakes?"

"Sure baby."

* * *

She walks in the Riggin's household, smiling and greeting Jason, Billy, and Herk. She automatically grabs Tim a new beer and hands it to him, sitting down in front of him.

"Are you ready to see our hard work Rae?" Jason asks and she nods. "Hit the lights and turn it on."

"Shut up!" Billy orders as they settle in around the TV.

"Tim Riggins… Goes to college." Jason announces dramatically and they all cheer. Rae smiles up at him.

"Alright, watch this." Tim instructs her and she's pleased to see a proud gleam in his eye.

"Alright, so you see what he's doing?" Jason asks, as Tim flashes on the screen. "Spotlights you before every play. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 guys to bring him down. Typical Tim Riggins style."

"Look at you." Rae says proudly.

"Look, gets the corner, speed, then power." Jason narrates.

"Tim, this is great." She mutters, squeezing his knee.

"Alright, this is my favorite one. Talk about delivering hits, look at this one." Jason points out as Tim trucks two guys into the end zone.

"So that's where all your brain cells went." Rae teases.

"What single characteristic do you think defines Tim Riggins as a football player?" Jason asks Coach on the video, who pauses.

"Toughness." He says and Tim straightens up. "I've never seen a kid with more fortitude than Tim Riggins. No fear."

"What's your favorite memory of your brother playing football?" Jason asks Billy, who folds his arms.

"Uh, probably watching him get that ring back in '06." He responds, chuckling. Tim gently plays with the chain around Rae's neck. "And after all we've been through together, see him win state, that was… That was probably the happiest day of my life. I was just really proud of him." They all fall silent as the tape ends.

"Jason, that was really nice." Rae says quietly. Billy claps as Jason brushes her compliment off. "Tim Riggins might actually go to college."

"Streeter, thank you. For everything." Billy says, raising his beer.

"Thank you, six." Tim says quietly.

"Cheers." Jason says, raising his glass. "To Tim going to school."

"I can drink to that." Rae says and they all chorus in. She leans up and kisses Tim's cheek, resting her forehead on his chest.

 **AN:** Happy Monday! I've made it through a crazy weekend of weddings and midterms, so I'm happy to report that I finally have time to breathe and give you guys a little Tim and Rae. Leave reviews, thoughts, comments... Hell, even just copy and paste your favorite line into a review and let me know what made you laugh or smile. Hope you guys have a great week and thanks for reading!


	30. Arnett-Mead

"Rae!" Tim yells, storming into the house. "Rae! Where are you?"

"It's the world's smallest house Tim Riggins. How can you not locate me?" Rae asks, poking her head around the doorway of her bedroom.

"Quit the sass, I've got news." He announces. "We're playing Arnett-Mead on national television!"

"Tim, that's great!" She says, stunned. "That's an incredible opportunity. That's great coverage for you. A lot of colleges are going to see that." She says and he groans, holding her face.

"Can we not talk about college for three minutes?" He begs.

"We never talk about college as is Tim!" Rae protests and he shushes her by kissing her.

"Yeah, we can do that tomorrow." He promises and she narrows her eyes but lets it slide.

* * *

"Can you believe that we're playing on national television?" Lois asks, catching Rae's arm after school.

"I cannot, but I can't fathom why you people love football so much, so I'm probably not the person to ask that question to." Rae says and Lois rolls her eyes.

"How can you be dating Tim Riggins if you hate football with such a passion?" She points out.

"Because there's more to him than just football. Right babe?" She asks, when Tim joins them.

"Sure. What am I agreeing with?" He questions.

"There's more to you than just football." Rae says and he furrows his forehead thoughtfully.

"I like beer." He states and Rae smacks his chest while Lois giggles.

"Tim. Mr. Riggins." A man calls, walking up to them. "Scotty Sims, San Antonio State." He introduces himself, extending his hand for Tim to shake.

"How you doing?" Tim asks, nodding.

"Good, how are you?"

"Good."

"I'm the one who's been sending those recruiting letters." He says with a smile and Tim looks down. "You're a hard man to track down." He says, handing Rae and Tim business cards.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I mean, I've been meaning to call you. We've been at practice and state." Tim stutters as Rae stares at him incredulously.

"Don't worry about it." Scotty says dismissively. "I know, I know what it's like. You got a lot going on." Tim just nods and there's an awkward pause before he extends his hand to Rae. "Hi."

"Hi, I'm Rae." She says sweetly, shaking it.

"This is Rae." Tim adds, unhelpfully.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Sims." Rae says pleasantly, fighting the urge to kick Tim in the shins.

"Well, listen. I don't mean to blindside you like this but like I said in my letters, we're graduating our entire backfield in June. We really feel like you'd be a great fit for our team next year." Rae looks up at him expectantly.

"Thank you." He says quietly.

"I'll be at the Marriott the next few days, why don't you come by tomorrow night?" He offers. "Maybe sit down, talk about our program?"

"Tomorrow night… Tomorrow night isn't that good of a time… Uh, Carden's got that thing…" He says, looking away from them both.

"What? No he doesn't." Rae says, nonplussed.

"Yeah, he does." Tim mumbles and Rae wracks her brain, trying to remember what Tim might be talking about.

"Make a hell of a rib eye." Scotty says.

"We'll be there, there's nothing going on tomorrow night." Rae says quickly, slipping her hand into Tim's and squeezing.

"Great." Scotty says unsurely, looking between them. "8 o'clock?"

"Sure. Sounds good, sir." Tim says, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you." Rae calls as Scotty walks away. He waves over his shoulder. Rae waits until he's out of earshot then pulls Tim towards her.

"You didn't tell me you got letters of interest from San Antonio State." She says quietly and he tangles a hand in her hair, drawing her face up to kiss him. "You can't keep kissing me to distract me from this whole college thing, Tim Riggins." She points out.

"Is it still working?" He mummers and she bites her lip then nods, laughing. "Then I'm gonna keep doing it." He says, kissing her again.

* * *

"Tim, are you ready?" She yells, pushing the door to his house open. She stops dead in her tracks when she sees Tim and Billy taking shots at the counter. She folds her arms at Tim looks at her, wide eyed.

"Hey Rae." He says slowly, as she looks around. "Hi."

"Well, hello." She mutters, avoiding the piles of garbage as she makes her way towards him. "It's nearly 8, I thought we should get going." She says, raising an eyebrow.

"Sorry, I lost track of time, I've just been…" He trails off, gesturing to the pile of beer cans and Billy. "Tending to Billy and his broken heart."

"Uh huh." Rae says, looking at Billy, unimpressed. "Well, you have that meeting in about 15 minutes."

"I'm ready!" He insists and she looks at the half empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the counter.

"Get in the car." She orders and he nods, trotting out the door. "Well done Billy." She says, furious the second the door slams shut.

"Rae, look, I'm sorry." Billy starts and she cuts him off, raising a hand.

"Don't. I thought we were in this together Billy, that we were gonna do this together. And now all the sudden you're letting him get drunk before meetings with recruiters?" She demands.

"Why do you want to take my baby brother away from me?" Billy shouts suddenly. "Why? I raised him! It was me! I was here for him, all those years. Not you. Not you. And now all because some prissy, pretty girl comes in, he's just going to up and leave with her? You can't have him." He hisses and Rae recoils like she's been slapped. Billy's face falls.

"Well." She says coolly.

"Rae, I didn't mean that. I'm only saying it cause I'm drunk." He apologizes, running a hand over his face.

"No it's fine Billy. Never mind that this is a Texas school we're talking to. A place I would go to. Don't make me into the enemy here Billy. Not when I'm doing a better job of watching out for Tim's future than you are." She spits, turning on her heel and storming out. She slams the car door.

"Whoa, what's that about?" Tim asks, surprised.

"I don't want to talk about it." She mutters, pulling away from the house. They ride in silence until she settles down. "It's a nice school Tim." She says finally and he looks at her. "Small class sizes, a pretty campus. I thought it was nice." She admits and he looks at her.

"You looked at it?" He asks.

"I looked at all the schools that you might play for." She informs him.

"For me or for you?" He asks and she shrugs. "Well, I think he's only gonna wanna talk about football."

"Well, maybe you can talk about the school too." She points out and he sighs. "Tim, why are you scared of this?" She demands, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Because then I have to go to college!" He says and Rae stares at him in disbelief. "What?" He demands.

"You don't care, do you?" She realizes and he just raises an eyebrow. "You don't care about going to college, you don't realize how important this is to your future, you don't care, do you?"

"Of course I do." He insists, halfheartedly.

"No. You don't." She says firmly, stomping on the breaks. He looks at her as she pulls the car around.

"Rae, where are we going?" He asks.

"Home." She says from between gritted teeth.

"But we have that meeting!" He says, bewildered.

"No, we don't. Because you don't care." She says furiously.

"You know what Rae?" Tim asks suddenly, pissed. "Where's that girl from a year ago? The one who drank with me and told me that I didn't need some prissy girl like Lyla to fit into her neat little life? Where's that girl?" He demands.

"Right here!" Rae yells, tears welling up. "Right here, right next to you. She's been here every step of the way! She's trying to get you out of the damn hole that is Dillon! I am trying so damn hard Tim. To help you leave Texas." She insists, swiping her hand roughly across her cheeks.

"Maybe I don't want to leave Texas." He says quietly.

"Fine. That's fine. I don't care. I just wanted you to make something out of your life. Do what you want Tim." She says tiredly, parking in her driveway and turning the car off. "Tell Billy he wins. He gets to keep you." She climbs out of the car and walks in the house.

"What does that mean?" He wonders, stumbling over to his own house and letting himself in.

 **AN:** It's typical Tim, drinking and ruining things... Please, please, please leave reviews! I likely won't be updating till next Monday, I'm going on Fall Break and my connection to the real world might get a little spotty. So I'll see you then, but in the meantime, I would love to read your thoughts, especially on what you think Tim's future is going to be!


	31. On A Bender

"You two are fighting, aren't you?" Julie asks as they watch the game. Rae looks at her.

"How can you tell?" She asks, slightly amused.

"Because you've got your arms all folded and you're doing that thing with your lip that you do." Julie points out.

"Yes, I'm annoyed." She admits. "But would you focus on the field? We have to win this game."

"Stop talking like you know football." Julie orders her and Rae shrugs.

"They did great!" Rae says, hugging Julie as they watch the team take a knee and the stands erupt into cheers. She follows Julie onto the field, pointedly ignoring Tim and congratulating Smash and Matt instead.

She leans against the car, watching as Tim talks to Scotty. Tim talks to him, nodding thoughtfully. Scotty clasps his shoulder and Tim jogs towards him.

"I'm going to get a pop with him." He says lowly and Rae simply raises an eyebrow at him.

"I'll have a beer ready at home. I might kill you, so pick your chances." She informs him.

"I like my odds." He says, then pecks her on the lips and walks back to Scotty. She watches him go, biting her lip.

* * *

"Whoa, that's a lot of vodka." Julie comments as Rae pours a glass for herself at the party. Matt's watching her with big eyes.

"It's the amount that it's gonna take for me to stop being mad at Tim." Rae informs them. "No, no, I might need a little more. Jules, go get that back for me." She orders, taking a long gulp.

"Are you sure it's that much? I mean, you've had a couple shots already." Julie reminds her and Rae narrows her eyes.

"Ok, I'll quit drinking the vodka if you go get me a beer." She bargains. Julie looks at Matt and he shrugs.

"Ok, that's a deal, but you stay by Matt ok? Ok? Stay by Matt." Julie says, looking pointedly at Matt. He nods, watching Rae as she makes faces at the photo of her and Tim that is her phone background.

"Can we take her home?" Julie asks quietly and Matt nods quickly, scooping Rae up.

"C'mon Rae, time to go home." He tells her.

"Aww man, no!" Rae protests, moving her limbs groggily. "I didn't get to say hi to anybody!"

"That's for the best. Into Matt's car, let's go." Julie says, helping Matt shove her into the car.

"Wow Mais. Looking great." Carden comments when they carry her in.

"That's my brother." Rae proclaims as Matt sets her on the couch. "He's a little brat but he's a good kid." She slurs, slumping over.

"Thanks for getting her home. I got it from here." Carden tells them and Julie smiles, backing out.

"Carden, I love you. I love my little brother." She mumbles and he pats her head kindly.

She wakes up to bright sunlight. She squints, head pounding and rolls over. Tim is looking at her with big, amused eyes.

"Jesus Christ and all his disciples." She swears, nearly falling off the bed. "Tim, what are you doing?"

"Can you swear like that if you're not religious?" He asks thoughtfully and she stares at him, too bewildered to remember the pounding in her head.

"I do as I please, why are you in my bed?" She demands.

"Well I was under the impression that you liked me here." He tells her, hands snaking up around her waist.

"Tim." She hisses, smacking them away. "Quit it, what's going on?" She asks, still annoyed at him and the way he blew off the recruiter and even more annoyed that her head is pounding and he's smiling like he's complete unaffected by her terrible mood.

"I'm in." He says and she narrows her eyes, uncomprehending. "I'm in, in. College in, Rae. I'm in college. I'm going to college. I met with the recruiter, I filled out some paperwork and he said I'm in. Yeah there's more paperwork to be done but there's some half scholarship, maybe more, I don't know yet-" Rae cuts him off, kissing him soundly on the lips, all of her anger evaporating at the good news and idea of Tim in college.

"Wow." He says, drawing back. "Are you on a bender? I'm getting a buzz just kissing you." He teases and she shoves him.

"I got drunk last night because I was mad at you. It's your fault that I'm still drunk." She insists.

"It's fantastic." He says, laughing, kissing her some more. "You're the one still drunk in the morning, I love it." He says and she squirms away and folds her arms. He groans.

"I'm still angry." She states. "I am so proud of you but I am still so angry with you and this doesn't change that. I want to hug you and kiss you and jump up and down with you but I really, really want to kick you in the shins." His lips quirk up in amusement but he quickly sobers when he sees that she remains steadfastly angry with him.

"And I know that. And I'm sorry. For everything. For getting drunk with Billy. For not taking this seriously and being terrible. You deserve more and I tell you that all the time. I should not have yelled at you. I should not have called you Lyla. All that you do, you do for me." He tells and she nods.

"Keep going." She says quietly.

"You are the light of my life. You are the reason I am here. The only reason I got into college. And whether you come here to San Antonio State or not, I have you to thank. So thank you. For everything. I want to celebrate, but you are the only person worth celebrating with so please stop being mad at me." He begs and she ponders it for a second then opens her arms and he dives in.

"TIM RIGGINS IS GOING TO COLLEGE!" She yells as he laughs.

"What college took his sorry ass in?" Carden asks from the doorway, smiling at them as Rae beams.

"Watch it, you're talking to a college athlete." Tim warns him.

"Somehow I'm not scared." Carden says and Tim lunges for him.

"C'mon little man. Let's go make your sister breakfast so she can move from still drunk to hung over." Tim tells him and Rae groans.

"You should have seen her last night." Carden comments.

"Oh, please tell me all about it." Tim says, delighted.

* * *

"What in god's name is going on? What in the world is going on?" Rae demands, gesturing angrily at the field.

"The refs are dirty, that's why we can't get a call." Mrs. Taylor explains to Rae when she stares wide eyed at the field. She carefully shields Gracie's eyes, watching as Tim gets slammed into the ground.

"You know what this means?" Rae mutters out of the corner of her mouth to Julie, who raises her eyebrows. "Tim will want it rough." Julie makes a face then shakes her head.

"No. Nope. I did not hear that. Not a single thing about you and Tim Riggins." Julie says flatly. Rae laughs then sobers when Coach Taylor gets thrown out of the game. Despite it, Tim gets the touchdown and Rae cheers loudly, bouncing Gracie up and down excitedly.

"Baby, nicely done." She says proudly as Tim shields her from Buckley's enraged crowd.

"Thank you, thank you." He says happily, kissing her nose.

"You know what?" She says thoughtfully. "I never get sick of meeting you on the fields after these games."

"Good thing you got four years of it ahead of you." He tells her then cheers and goes to celebrate with his team in the locker room.

"What was that?" Julie demands from behind her.

"Tim got into college." Rae says, staring at Tim's back as he jogs to the locker room. "Tim is going to college."

"Those are words I never thought I'd hear." Julie admits.

"Smash isn't signed to a college and Tim is. It's like my world is flipped outside down and inside out." Rae muses as they wander back to the car.

 **AN:** I have found civilization! I mean, not a lot, but my laptop is up and running, so that's all I need. Happy Halloween to everyone who celebrates it, please have a safe and spooky weekend, I will be returning Monday or Tuesday with the next update, but until then, please leave me reviews! This chapter is for the person who needed to know if Tim and Rae were going to break up or just fighting- I can imagine that dating Tim must be a pain most of the time but pretty fun all the same! Thanks for reading!


	32. Happy Endings and State Championships

"I swear to god if I have to get this door one more time when there are three people living in this house, I will murder both of you. In your sleep. With rusty butter knives." Rae threatens, pulling the door open. Billy is looking at her with wide eyes. Tim and Carson roar with laughter behind her.

"Is this a bad time?" He asks worriedly and Rae shakes her head, letting him in, speechless.

"Uh, there's pasta on the stove, you can grab a plate. Carden can get you some iced tea." She offers, once she's got her bearings back. "Oh god, that sounds so Southern." She says, taken aback at herself. Billy waves a hand.

"No, I came here to apologize." He admits. "I really could have messed things up for Tim and I accused you of a lot of things and none of them were true. You're a good girl and you're good for Tim and I should have remembered that before I got angry with you. It's just… It's… He's my little brother." He trails off and looks down and Rae sees, very clearly, the resemblance to Tim and a smile cracks at the corner of her mouth.

"You did a good job with him Billy." She says and he looks up. "I mean, not a great job. But he's a good kid. And I know you're probably more proud of him than me, so I want us to celebrate it all together."

"Thank you Rae." He says gratefully.

"C'mon in. Have some pasta." She says and he smiles, brushing past her and heading towards the kitchen.

* * *

"I HATE FOOTBALL. I HATE FOOTBALL GAMES. I HATE RAIN. I HATE RAINY FOOTBALL GAMES. I HATE TIM RIGGINS. I HATE THIS." Rae hollers at the top of her lungs.

"SHE HATES FOOTBALL. SHE HATES FOOTBALL GAMES AND RAIN." Julie yells back, making Mrs. Taylor snort in laughter.

"WHETHER WE'RE WINNING OR NOT I STILL HATE FOOTBALL. I HATE IT. I HATE IT. I HATE FOOTBALL. YOU HEAR ME, TEXAS? I. HATE. FOOTBALL." She bellows and Julie doubles over in laughter.

"You'll get lynched for that if anyone could hear you." Mrs. Taylor comments and Rae huffs and folds her arms.

"I would like to see them try. Especially in this weather." She says but has rapt attention as she watches the final play and Tim catches the ball, sliding the mud and water.

"WE'RE GOING TO STATE!" Julie yells, jumping up and down, making the bleachers splash water. They both clamber down the stands, running towards the field with the flow of people.

"You are insane. Absolutely crazy." Rae says to Tim, removing his helmet with a smile.

"You're soaked." He observes in amusement.

"I am, my ass is soaked because I came out here to watch you, you stupid idiot and I'm all wet." She says, poking him hard in the chest.

"I'll take you home and get those wet clothes off you." He offers, kissing her ear and neck. She laughs and puts her arms around his neck.

"Aren't we going to a party?" She asks, as he drives towards home.

"No. The real parties are after state, you know that." He says and she just stares at him with an eyebrow raised. "Rae, I'm serious. I want a night in. With you. Is that so weird?"

"You're Tim Riggins, so yes, it is!" She says pointedly and he sighs, taking her hand in his.

"I just want some time with you. Ok?" He asks and she nods slowly.

"Alright, fine. But let's take a nice warm shower. I'm soaked and I'm cold to the bone."

* * *

"Hey, Tim." Carden asks in the morning, flipping through his hockey magazine absentmindedly. "How come you haven't announced that you're playing for SA State?" Rae looks up and Tim chews thoughtfully on his toast.

"I don't want to rub it in. It's not fair, with Smash's scholarship gone. I'll do it after state probably." He decides and Rae kisses his head, taking Carden's magazine in one smooth move.

"Hey!" He protests.

"I'm proud of you babe. And don't give me that look Carden. I know you have math and I know you haven't even taken it out of you folder. Let's get cracking, we have state this weekend and no one is getting anything done, I promise you that." She decrees as Tim and Carden groan in unison.

* * *

"Second time at state. Are you two ready for this?" Mrs. Taylor asks, as they load bags into the car.

"Ready as I'll ever be to watch a Texas football game." Rae says, clambering into her seat.

"Mom, can we actually get something good to eat in Austin?" Julie asks, putting her feet up.

"Like what?" Mrs. Taylor asks, following the bus as it gets onto the freeway.

"Anything that's not ribs, steak, or barbeque." Julie says firmly and her mother gives her a sideways glance.

"Jules, you know that is not possible. This is Austin, Texas."

They arrive at the stadium with enough time to look around with awe. Even Rae admits that the stadium is impressive then follows Julie back to the hotel, arguing about Texas culture.

"Have you decided on a school?" Julie asks as Rae lies on the floor with Gracie and her toys. Carden looks up.

"Uh, maybe." She says hesitantly. Julie gives her a confused look. "Don't look at me like that." She protests.

"Well, that's not a very clear answer." Julie points out and Rae shrugs, blowing kisses to Gracie.

"Well, I got into Duluth. And they have a great school and a great campus and I have a nice scholarship there and I can get loans and it's up north and Carden could play. Duluth East has a fantastic hockey program and I would love to see Carden play for them at state. But that's a long ways from Texas." She says, not looking at Carden or Julie.

"A long way from Tim." Julie corrects her.

"Texas, Tim, what's the difference? They're one and the same. San Antonio is great, but it is no Duluth." She says sadly.

"Did you get into San Antonio?" Julie asks and Rae gives her a look.

"I did. I like the campus and I like the school and the classes. Good scholarship. Better than Duluth. It'll save me money. But it means I'll stay here and he will too." She says, nodding to Carden, who has his knees drawn up to his chest. Julie stands and picks Gracie up.

"I gotta change her diaper." She says quietly and leaves the room. Rae takes a deep breath then looks up at Carden.

"Duluth East." He states and she nods. "You think I could play for Duluth East?" She laughs and opens her arms. He scoots into her hug.

"Car, you could play for anyone on this planet. Anyone. You've only been out two years. Less, if I can move up the second I graduate." She tells him and he's quiet for a long moment.

"That means leaving Tim." He says quietly and she just kisses his head.

"I know." She admits. "But if it's meant to be, it'll be. He is my boyfriend, you are my brother. You are family and I made a commitment to mom when she died to take care of you, no matter what, no questions asked. I will be your older sister until I die. You are more important."

"Where do you want to go?" Carden asks suddenly, leaning back so he can see her face. "If I wasn't a factor and neither was Tim, where would you go? Because you can make choices, Mais, choices for you. It's not always about us." He tells her and she simply pulls him into a hug again.

* * *

"Last time." Tim whispers as she leans against him in the lobby.

"Last time, best time." Rae whispers back. "I have loved watching you every second these last two seasons Tim. Know that."

"And I have loved you in the stands for me." He says, kissing her head. "I love that you're my girl."

"Win or lose, hell or high water. Always your girl." She tells him, stretching up and kissing him.

The game does not start off well. Rae watches with trepidation as Tim misses a pass and they head into the locker room, Matt hollering at Smash, Smash yelling at Tim, and Tim yelling at Matt.

"Do you think they're going to lose?" Carden asks her and she simply slides her hand over his mouth.

"See, see, it's going to be ok." Rae insists, cheering as Tim enters the end zone. "Just like last year. We will come back. It's ok." She repeats. "It's ok." She uses it like a mantra, continuous throughout her mind.

She watches in horror as Smash jumps up for a ball and is slammed to the ground, his knee bent in a funny way. She covers her mouth as the entire stadium falls silent, unsure. She watches as Coach Taylor runs onto the field and as Smash is carried off, Julie's hand finds hers.

"There's no way he can come back." Julie says quietly.

"I know. I know." Mrs. Taylor says, hands in front of her mouth. The Titans line up to take the field goal and Rae closes her eyes. She doesn't want to see this. She just wants a happy ending.

She doesn't get it.

Tim says nothing after the game. Matt says nothing. Rae and Carden follow Julie and Mrs. Taylor to the locker room, joined by the rest of the families. They stand in silence until Coach Taylor breaks it.

"I wanted everyone's friends and family to be in here to hear this, gentleman." He explains. "I have never been more proud of a team than I am right now. I am in awe of each and every one of you gentleman. You played great football tonight. This is the game that people are going to talk about for years to come. This is the game you are going to talk about. There's not a single person in this room who is ever going to be the same. You be proud of yourselves. Because gentleman, you are champions." With that, he leaves.

"Babe." Rae says softly, when Tim exits the locker room. She reaches up and gently wipes a bit of blood off his forehead, touching the sling that his shoulder is in, categorizing his injuries.

"I'm sorry." He whispers, leaning his head against hers.

"God Tim, for what?" She asks, gently running a hand into his hair.

"I wanted to give you that one last time. Run onto the field, me pick you up; spin you around, state ring. One more time. And I failed." He says, tearing leaking out of the corner of his eyes.

"Tim, never." She says ferociously. "I love you. I love you more than life itself. I love you and there is never a moment in time that you disappointed me. Get that through your football addled brain. It was never about running onto the field or showing off your state ring. It has been about you and loving you and us. My love does not depend on football, no matter what you think. So don't ever think that you disappointed me today."

"I love you." He says and with a final kiss, he is gone. Rae watches him board the bus and with a sinking feeling, realizes that for the first time she doesn't know what tomorrow will bring.

 **AN:** The actual most heartbreaking moment of the entire show... To me, this made sense, having Tim and Smash be the same age. Anyways, today's chapter is for seth0091, and their review that gave me the biggest smile this morning. If you've noticed, I'm now updating Tuesday/Thursday because of how hectic my schedule is being, but we're getting closer to the end... Please review, comment, leave questions, favorite, follow, all that stuff. Thanks for reading!


	33. Guardianship

"Where's Tim?" Carden asks, handing her three plates to put on the table. Rae sighs and hands him back one.

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure he's not coming for supper." She says quietly and Carden's face falls.

"But it's Thursday. Enchilada Thursday is like his third favorite night of the week." Carden protests.

"And he's not coming, can we drop it please?" Rae requests crankily and Carden closes his mouth and grabs two cups.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Julie asks, looping her arm with Rae's the next day on their way to class.

"Tim missed enchilada Thursday." She reveals.

"Is that code for we broke up?" Julie asks, mystified and Rae chuckles, shaking her head.

"That it's not. It's just weird of him. He's been spending more time with Billy and Jason and I think that's great and I'm so happy and it's nice to have more time for me but…" She trails off and Julie rubs her arm.

"I know." She says softly.

"Rae!" Mrs. Taylor calls, walking down the hall. "Hey Jules. Rae, can I talk to you?" She requests.

"Of course." Rae says slowly, waving goodbye to Julie and following Mrs. Taylor to her office.

"Rae, what's this?" Mrs. Taylor asks, handing her a note with something scribbled on it. Rae squints, trying to deceiver it.

"Possibly Russian, maybe Czech? No wait. Korean." She says confidently. Mrs. Taylor narrows her eyes. "I'm sorry," Rae says, laughing. "But I can't read that."

"It's a time and date from a judge." Mrs. Taylor says flatly and Rae sits up a little straighter. "Seems that you listed me as a character witness on a certain form." Rae bites her lip. "Oh, you remember that now?"

"I'm sorry." Rae says quietly. "But considering who you are and how Dillon works, I thought it was for the best. I should have asked and I am so sorry."

"Rae, that's not what I'm trying to say." Mrs. Taylor says, softening instantly and sitting next to her. "You're petitioning for custody of Carden? Sweetie, you're not even nineteen yet. Have you thought about what it's going to be like, being responsible for a child? It's not easy Rae, no matter how close you and your brother are. Have you thought this through?"

"Mrs. Taylor, no offense, I've had that form in my desk since the moment I turned eighteen." Rae says bluntly. "I've had it in my mind that I will take care of him the moment my mother died. And the only reason I've waited this long is because I finally finished clearing things up with my admissions counselor at UMD. Since I bring college credits in, I can enter as a sophomore and be eligible for off campus housing. I've got a little apartment all lined up and it's only a couple blocks from Duluth East and I've already talked to them about getting Carden enrolled so he'll be at school just as much as me and…" Suddenly Rae's eyes well up and she puts a hand over her mouth, unable to speak.

"Sweetie, what is it?" Mrs. Taylor asks in concern, hugging Rae to her chest. "Why are you crying?"

"When I talked to the lawyer about guardianship of Carden, he told me that my mother had set aside a fund for us that my father can't touch. Nearly $30,000 in it. Said she left it all in my name." She manages to get out between tears. "She was watching out for me, she always was. I am going to be ok, because my mother is still watching over me."

"Oh my, Rae." Mrs. Taylor says, kissing her head.

"And I've got a fulltime job." Rae plunges on, drying her tears. "I'll make enough to afford our apartment and school. It's gonna be a tight couple years but I'm really excited about how supportive the college has been and the amount of money I'm receiving from the government. Guess having a deadbeat, drunk dad pays off sometimes." She gives a watery chuckle.

"Rae, this is what your heart is set on?" Mrs. Taylor asks, clasping her hands and watching her.

"It is." Rae confirms, nodding. "I'm leaving Dillon. I can start my job right after graduation. All that's left is guardianship of Carden so I can sign all his papers and forms."

"Oh Rae, I am so proud of you. Scared for you, but so proud." Mrs. Taylor mummers, hugging her again.

"Does that mean you'll speak on my behalf?" Rae asks quickly and Mrs. Taylor takes a deep breath.

"Yes, sweetie. I'll be there." She agrees hesitantly.

"I can't thank you enough." Rae says, smiling and leaving.

* * *

"Hey, what were you doing talking to Mrs. Taylor?" Tim asks, falling into step with her in the hallway.

"Well hello. I don't know if I should be talking to you. Carden certainly isn't, not since you missed enchiladas." She informs him and he flinches.

"I know. I was out talking to Steeter. Baby stuff." He explains, rubbing the back of his head.

"Tim Riggins and baby stuff, two things I never thought I'd see together." She teases, smiling despite herself.

"Hey, I assembled the crib, so watch it." He warns her and she rolls her eyes. "No seriously, what did you have to talk to her about?"

"Uhh…" She hesitates then bites her lip, exhaling her breath through her nose. "The guardianship."

"Of Carden?" He asks, lowering his voice. She nods. "Well, what does she think? That it's a good idea?"

"More or less." Rae says, shrugging. "You know, she did the typical whole 'is this really what you want, it's a lot of work, blah, blah, blah' adult shtick. But she agreed to be at the hearing and on my side."

"Rae, that's great." He congratulates her, kissing her head. "Her support is really gonna help you."

"I know, I know. I can't get my hopes up though. I don't have custody, not yet. We'll find out next week." She says ruefully.

"It'll be fine." Tim says bracingly and she sighs, leaning into his side.

"I hope so."

* * *

"So why are we here today?" The judge asks, peering down over her glasses at them. Rae stands up, trying to stop shaking.

"Your honor, my name is Maisie Rae Brooks and I am applying for full custody and guardianship of my younger brother, Carden Isaac Brooks." She says and she's proud that her voice doesn't betray her nerves.

"Why?" The judge asks shortly and Rae turns around, looking at Tim and the Taylor's, all watching her expectantly.

"Because… Because I do not think my father is a fit parent." She says and the judge looks around.

"Is Mr. Brooks here?" She demands.

"No ma'am. He, uh, couldn't be reached." Rae says quietly. "We haven't seen or heard from him since he left for the oil fields after Christmas. We've received a couple checks since then but not much else."

"And you want to take guardianship of his son why?" She questions and Rae looks up, eyes flashing.

"Because he does not deserve to see the man that my little brother is becoming. He does not deserve to claim him as his child when I am the one who watches him, day in and day out. I do his laundry and help him with his homework. I'm the one who knows that he likes breakfast for dinner after a tough day and I'm the one who wraps the ankle that he rolled last week during football. I'm the one who saves nickels and dimes to help him buy new rollerblades because his shoe size has doubled since we moved here. I am already his parent. I will continue to be his parent. I want this guardianship because that means that if at any time the man who dares call himself a father shows up and tries to take him back, I can laugh in his drunk face and have the pleasure of telling him there's not a chance in hell that will ever happen." She says wrathfully.

"Well." The judge says and Rae closes her eyes. "That's quite the description Ms. Brooks. Have you decided where you're going to college?"

"Not definitively, your honor. Does that impact your decision?" She asks, steadfastly refusing to look at Mrs. Taylor.

"No, it does not, but if I give you guardianship, I want to keep an eye on him. You'll get me that information?" She asks sternly.

"Does that mean I have custody?" Rae asks, breathless.

"It means you have custody. You seem to be a great student and a fine, upstanding young lady. We could use more kids like you. You do a hell of a job with your brother, promise me that?" She demands and Rae nods, tears running unchecked down her face. "Alright good. Here's your paperwork. Get that all filled out and returned please."

"Of course your honor." She agrees then turns around and runs to hug Carden, squeezing him tightly. Tim joins them a moment later, kissing Rae's head and then Carden's.

"You haven't told Tim yet, have you?" Mrs. Taylor asks quietly as she wraps her in a hug. Rae shakes her head then moves to hug Julie.

"Rae, we gotta talk." Tim says as they exit the courthouse. Carden runs down the street and plucks a football from the back of Tim's truck. He tosses it to Tim and Tim tosses it back.

"About what?" Rae asks lightly, smiling as Carden stretches and catches the pass with ease.

"You know I love you." He says, taking a couple steps back to catch Carden's pass. "And you know I love Carden too."

"Is this a marriage proposal?" Rae demands. "Is this because we're so close to the courthouse. Oh no. Oh no Tim Riggins." She protests, hands up. "This is not how we're going to do this."

"Would you stop freaking out?" Tim says, looking at her in amusement. She shuts her mouth. "I meant I want to talk to you about this whole guardianship thing and what it means."

"Did you want me to put your name on the form too?" She asks curiously and he shakes his head.

"This means you can take him anywhere." He reminds her and she stares at him, unsure of where this is going. "You can take him back to Minnesota, back to your home."

"Tim, I'm home with you." She says automatically.

"Don't do that." He insists. "Let me finish. You don't wanna go to San Antonio. You wanna go to UMD. Carden wants to go home. Taking him two hours across Texas is not why you got custody of him. Taking him back to Minnesota, that's why you did this."

"Tim…" She says, putting her hands on his face.

"Baby. I'm not saying that I don't love you. But you know why you did this and I do too." He says and she leans her head on his chest.

"I want to watch you play football. I want to be with you." She whispers, tears darkening his shirt.

"And I want to be with you. But I love you and I love him." He gestures to Carden, who is jogging towards him. "Take him home."

"Hey Rae, why you crying?" Carden asks, concerned.

"Just happy." She says instantly, turning around. "Happy I'm stuck with you for the rest of your miserable little life squirt." She says, pulling him into a hug and looking at Tim over his shoulder.

* * *

She leans against the doorway of her room and watches as Tim strips down and gets ready for bed. She smiles slightly, as he turns around, shirtless and in his boxers. He smirks when he sees her watching.

"You like what you see?" He mummers, pulling her towards her bed.

"I always do Tim Riggins." She says, swaying with him.

"So where's my girl going?" He asks in her ear.

"What if I want to stay right here, with you?" She asks tenderly and he chuckles, shaking his head.

"You've wanted to leave since the second you got here. You actively informed everyone in this entire planet how much you hate Texas." He reminds her and she smiles slightly.

"I still hate Texas." She mutters.

"And I still can't leave it." He says and she feels her heart break a little bit more. She tugs on his hand.

"Let's go to bed and just forget about this for five minutes, ok?" She request and he makes a face.

"Five minutes? That's all you're giving me?" She squeals as he tosses her onto the bed.

 **AN:** Well my awesome readers, a somewhat fluff chapter for you all... We're nearing the end, there's still a couple loose ends to be tied up, but I hope you stick with me for the rest of the ride. Let me know what you think!


	34. Graduation

"I'm gonna miss you when you go." Julie says, leaning against her shoulder as they stretch.

"Minnesota to Texas… Could we be any further away from each other?" Rae observes dryly.

"I mean, I could move to California and you could go to Maine, we could try that." Julie points out thoughtfully and Rae grins, bumping shoulders and rolling into her splits.

"I won't be that far. We can talk and text and call. It's not like we'll be cut off. You're still my best friend. Even if you are from Texas." Rae promises.

"Does Tim know what you're going to do yet?" Julie asks curiously and Rae hangs her head.

"He doesn't know exactly but he knows I'm not going to San Antonio. But god Jules, I want to. I wish I could want that." She says miserably.

"If my mom was here, I'm sure she'd say something kind and sweet and enlightening about not losing yourself into some boy and how important it is that you're forging your own path without Tim Riggins." Julie tells her and Rae nods. "But it sucks cause you want to be with him."

"I hate growing up." Rae says.

"Well you gotta, cause last time I checked, you were responsible for a teenager." Julie reminds her and Rae smiles.

* * *

"I wish it wasn't like this." Rae mummers, tracing patterns on Tim's bare back. He switches his head to look at her.

"What's like this?" He asks.

"I wish I was angry with you. I wish I could throw your state ring at you and call you a jackass and all the things you probably deserve over the course of our relationship. But here I am, deeply, deeply in love with you. And that makes everything so much harder." She admits.

"What am I going to do without you?" He asks and she shrugs.

"You'll drink too much and sleep too long and I doubt you'll go to class. But I have faith in you." She says softly.

"Do you think I'm going to flunk out of college?" He asks and instead of answering she kisses him.

* * *

"Hey Rae." Carden says, setting his books down on the table.

"Yes brat." She says, not looking up from the mountain of paperwork that she's looking through.

"What are you doing?" He asks, picking one paper up and looking at it. Rae snatches it back.

"This is me trying to gain a scholarship." She mutters.

"Can I help?" Carden asks.

"You could make me a sandwich and tell me why you're being so sweet to me." She requests.

"Because I counted today."

"Counted what?" Rae asks, looking up.

"Days left of school." He says.

"Yeah? How many?" She asks, setting her pencil down and taking the sandwich from him.

"School days or normal days?"

"Both. School days first, then days total."

"27 school days, 36 days total." He says, sitting down.

"Your sandwich is delicious. Who taught you to cook?" She asks and he raises an eyebrow.

"This isn't cooking Rae. It's a sandwich. That means you have less than 40 days to tell Tim that we're moving to Duluth pretty much the second you walk off that stage." He points out and she rubs your temples.

"Why is everyone so concerned about Tim and I's relationship?" She mutters and Carden scrapes his chair on the kitchen floor.

"Because when we leave, you're not just losing a boyfriend. I'm losing my big brother." He reminds her, getting up and walking to his room. Rae flings her pencil at the closing door.

"Babe." Tim says, startling her. He's standing in the doorway, looking at her strangely.

"Hi, sorry, where have you been?" She asks hurriedly, trying to gather the papers in a nice pile.

"Have you eaten tonight?" He demands and she looks around, noticing the dark sky and time.

"Uh, Carden… He made me a sandwich at like… 5:30." She says and he shakes his head.

"Rae that's not a real meal." He reminds her gently, picking up one of the pieces of paper.

"I'm not hungry." She insists.

"You haven't been eating." He says, pulling the fridge open.

"Why are you watching out for me? This is reversed. Don't flip the world around on me." She protests.

"Well you don't eat when I'm not here to remind you. You gotta cut that out when you go… Go to wherever it is that you're going." He says, gesturing with his hands fruitlessly.

"Duluth." She says quietly.

"What?" He asks, looking at her.

"Duluth." She repeats, keeping eye contact with him. "I am going to the University of Minnesota in Duluth and I will be a Bulldog. Carden is going to start high school at Duluth East and he is going to be a Greyhound."

"I didn't… I didn't know that you had this so planned out." Tim says, fridge still wide open. She nudges it shut with her toe. "Did you even consider San Antonio State, like at all?" He asks, a wounded note in his voice and she finally looks away, unable to handle it.

"I did. You know I did, I got scholarships. I got accepted. I want to go Tim. But do you want to be strapped with the burden that is Carden and I?" She asks and he shakes his head, running a hand through his hair.

"Rae, you're not a burden." He says softly.

"No, but I sure come with a lot of them." She says, slumping over and putting her head on the table.

"Would you eat?" Tim asks quietly, stroking her head. She looks up and nods. "Thank you."

"Come with me." She says suddenly. "Come to UMD. Hell, don't go to UMD. Come with me and get a job. You can work nights and be there in the day with Carden. I'll go to class and work and we can make it just like it is here. We practically live together here, so why would it be any different in Minnesota?" She begs, tugging on his hand.

"Rae." He says softly. "There's snow there." She breaks down in giggles, shaking her head.

"Alright, alright. You win." She admits.

"Whoa, what were those words?" He asks, taken aback. Rae gives him an annoyed look. "Can I have a repeat?"

"You win." She says loudly. "You win, you have a better point than me! Tim Riggins wins!"

"Can we get that on tape? Can I have that on a plaque?" He asks loudly, picking her up. "Mark the day that I won and Maisie Rae lost!"

"Are you done?" She demands as he spins her around. "Are you done being a sassy little shit?"

"No, never, not when my winning streak is so hot."

"You are an ungrateful winner Tim Riggins and frankly I don't think it's good for you."

* * *

"You graduated!" Julie yells, hugging her tightly.

"Careful, you'll pull my tassel right off." Rae protests but beams and hugs Julie back just as tight.

"Rae, congratulations. We are so proud of you." Mrs. Taylor says, hugging her. "So proud."

"I could have never done it without you." She says honestly.

"Tim, nicely done." Coach says, shaking his hand.

"Thank you coach." Tim says, shaking Mrs. Taylor hand and giving Julie a brief hug. He smiles at Rae as she struggles not to cry.

"You and your diploma. What a sight." She says and Tim ducks his head, shrugging. She leans into his side. "Done with high school. On to college." She says, watching as the rest of their class exchange hugs.

"What time does your flight leave?" He asks quietly and she looks up at him, shaking her head.

"Can we do this tomorrow?" She pleads and he nods, kissing her.

"Is this the last time I'm going to fall asleep with you in my arms?" Tim asks, kissing her forehead as they snuggle into bed after the party.

"No." Rae says instantly. "No, it's not. Because I will visit. I will see you. This is not goodbye Tim Riggins. Not goodbye."

"Except tomorrow you get on a plane." He reminds her and Rae is silent for a long moment.

"Get on it with me."

"Goodnight Rae. I love you."

* * *

"This is only goodbye for a little bit." Rae promises, clinging tightly to Julie. "Only a summer or two. I'm going to come visit, I promise. I promise Jules. And you can come visit anytime." She rocks back and forth and lets go.

"Sweetie, you need anything, anything, you just call." Mrs. Taylor says, enveloping her in a tight hug.

"I will, I will. I promise." Rae says and even Coach Taylor hugs her. Julie hugs Carden close.

"You be safe, Rae." Coach Taylor says bracingly.

"I will, I will. I really can't thank you enough." She says. "And baby Gracie, next time I see you, you'll be all big, you'll be so big, you'll forget to give me kisses." Rae says, kissing Gracie's head repeatedly.

"Oh no, she'll never forget kisses, we'll make sure she remembers all the kisses you given her. You've given her millions and millions." Julie says and Rae is silent, kissing Gracie again.

"We gotta go y'all. Your flight is getting ready, we gotta go." Mrs. Taylor says, gathering everyone. More hugs are exchanged and Rae waves goodbye to the first family to accept her in Dillon with a watery smile.

"I'll wait with you until the last possible second." Tim vows and Rae holds his hand tightly.

"I should give you this back." She says suddenly, pulling the state ring from around her neck.

"Don't you dare." Tim says, pushing her hand away. "You leave that thing on. The day you decide that you don't love me anymore, you take that thing off and send it back to me." She stares up into his eyes. His mouth is a firm line.

"Tim," She protests.

"No, no. That's not me trying to make you stay faithful. That's not something I can ask you. I'm just saying that as long as you have that ring, there'll be a chance that my girl will come back. You keep it." He protests and her hand closes around the ring tightly.

"I love you." She says, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I know. You're my girl Rae. I love you too. My girl. You're my girl. I love you. I love you. I love you."

 **AN:** The end is getting closer... This chapter may or may not be my favorite, for many reasons. But let me know what you think too- love it, hate it, can't wait for more, anything. Thank you for reading!


	35. Rae's Return

"RAE IS ON HER WAY. RAE IS ON HER WAY. I REPEAT, RAE. IS. ON. HER. WAY." Julie screeches, running through the house.

"Rae?" Gracie asks from her highchair.

"Yes Gracie Belle, Rae. She's your other big sister. Do you remember Rae?" Julie asks, kissing her little sister's head.

"No." Gracie says stoutly.

"Yes you do, quit playing around with me." Julie says, nuzzling her nose with Gracie's.

"No. No. No." Gracie chants.

"No, say Rae. Rae. Rae." Julie tells her and Gracie makes a face. "C'mon, say Rae. She liked you even when I didn't." Julie informs her.

"Jules!" Mrs. Taylor chides.

"Well, it's true." Julie says flatly. "I was not a fan of Gracie when she was a baby and it's a good thing Rae was."

"Well maybe don't tell your baby sister that." Mrs. Taylor says.

"Did I hear that right?" Coach asks, poking his head out of the bathroom. "Is Rae coming back to little Dillon?"

"She is." Julie confirms. "She'll be here in like ten minutes, maybe less. You know how she drives."

"Like a maniac on a mission." He says fondly.

"Is she bringing Carden back with her?" Mrs. Taylor asks and Julie raises an eyebrow.

"Mom, is it possible to have one without the other?" She points out and Mrs. Taylor shrugs.

"Well I didn't know if he has stuff to do in Minnesota. You know what? I'm so proud of her. Finishing school and in three years nonetheless. Got her degree. And Carden, I hear he's doing huge things up there. State hockey?" Mrs. Taylor asks quizzically and Julie shrugs.

"It's hockey. She's always excited, so I just pretend to go with it." Julie says with a laugh.

"Rae?" Gracie pips up curiously and Julie nods.

"Yeah, Rae. I'm so excited to see her Gracie." Julie says, plucking her out of her highchair.

"Does she know that you and Matt are engaged?" Coach asks her pointedly and Julie rolls her eyes.

"Of course, she was only the first person I called. I think I heard her all the way from Minnesota, she shrieked that loud." Julie informs them. "Then she threatened to kick my ass and made me promise to let her pick out her bridesmaid dress and a lot of other things."

"What are your plans for the weekend?" Mrs. Taylor asks.

"Oh you know, go back, tour the old Dillon High. Hit up the Alamo Freeze. Maybe go have a few beers, spend an hour or two at the landing strip." Julie rattles off and Mrs. Taylor narrows her eyes. "I don't know mom!" She protests. "It's Dillon, there's not much to do!"

"Well I just think that since Rae hasn't been back in three years, you might want to show her everything that's changed." She advises and Julie looks at her in disbelief. "What?"

"Mom, it's Dillon. Nothing changes. Matt and I are only back because we need to help you guys pack up for your big move to Philly." She says and Mrs. Taylor looks around at the chaos in the living room.

"Yeah, we gotta pack." She says, running a hand through her hair. "Honey, can you hurry up in there and help me pack?" She calls.

"Well, maybe I'm packing the bathroom!"

There's a knock on the door and all three heads turn. Even Coach sticks his head out the door. Then Julie shoves Gracie towards her mother and sprints for the door, all while hollering,

"RAE!" She yanks the door open and is promptly tackled by a screaming Rae, both of them squealing at a volume that makes Coach put his hand over his ears. Carden steps over them calmly, waving.

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. Taylor." He says, smiling and offering his hand. Mrs. Taylor stares at him in shock.

"Oh my… Look at how tall he is. Carden, last time I saw you, you didn't even clear Rae!" She says, astonished. "How tall are you?"

"Well, I passed her a long time ago." He says with a smile, offering his hand. "I'm 6'2 now."

"That's a firm handshake son." Coach says, impressed.

"I learned from the best." He says warmly and Coach smiles.

"Would you two get up?" Mrs. Taylor yells. "Rae, come over here, I need a proper look at you!" Rae scrambles up and runs for her, grabbing her into a hug with the familiarity of a mother and daughter.

"Hi Mrs. Taylor!" She squeals, rocking back and forth.

"Who is this woman? Who is this woman? What in the world, how did you go and get all grown up?" She demands, holding Rae at arm's length and expecting her thoroughly. Rae has her same twinkling blue eyes and long blonde hair, though it's curlier. She's still the same athletic build that she's always been, though perhaps not as lean as her high school days.

"I'm not that grown up, I'm still that same 18 year old who was in your office half the time senior year." She promises.

"No, no. You are all grown up and I am so proud of you." Mrs. Taylor says, holding Rae's cheek. She blushes.

"Thank you. I could not have done it without you." She insists and Mrs. Taylor pats her cheek. "Is that my Gracie Belle?" She demands and Gracie turns suddenly shy, hiding her face in Mrs. Taylor's neck.

"Gracie, why are you so shy?" Julie questions. "C'mon, say hi to Rae." She orders and Gracie peeks out.

"Rae." She says cautiously and Rae smiles, wiggling her fingers. Gracie smiles and reaches for her. Rae scoops her up, beaming.

"C'mere Carden. How's school? I heard you're making a pretty impressive name for yourself in hockey." Coach says and Carden smiles, nodding.

"Yeah, we're doing good, I'm excited for next year. Lot of time on the ice, I'm hoping I can have a good look at playing for Duluth." He admits and Rae smiles proudly, leaning her head on Julie's.

"Well damn son, that's great." Coach insists. "Are you playing any football up there in Minnesota? I would've liked to coach you." He says and Carden goes off on a tangent, detailing his past football seasons.

"Rae, you did great." Mrs. Taylor says quietly.

"There were times when I didn't think I was doing any good." She admits quietly. "It hasn't been the easiest of times. We've fought a lot, lots of slamming doors and tears at midnight and 'I'm sorry' pancakes in the morning. He said some things I thought I should slap him for but he's a good boy. It's his senior year and he's getting college offers. He's gonna be ok and I am too. This is the first time I've been in Dillon and I've felt like I can breathe." She reflects.

* * *

"Mais, is it ok if I go visit some of the guys? Joey and Brett, you know." Carden asks, as they finish supper. She raises an eyebrow.

"Sure bud. Whatever you want to do. You know what hotel we're staying at, right?" She asks and he nods. "Alright, go for it."

"Mrs. Taylor, Coach, thank you for this delicious supper." He says gratefully. "I hope I'll see you tomorrow."

"Carden of course. Anytime. You come back tomorrow, I want to hear all about your college options and your plans." Mrs. Taylor insists and Carden nods, kissing Rae's head.

"Where do you want to go?" Julie asks Rae and she shrugs.

"How about the high school or the Alamo Freeze? Maybe the landing strip, that's always a good choice." She muses and Julie raises an eyebrow in the direction of her mother, as if to say I-told-you-so.

"Oh go on." Mrs. Taylor says, waving a hand. "Go, go. Do whatever it is that you girls do. Rae, I expect to see you here for each meal. I want you in my house, I want to hear everything." She orders.

"Of course, Jules warned me I would be gang pressed into the Taylor household packing force." She says with a sweet smile.

"Go, before I make you stay." She threatens teasingly and Rae and Julie dash out the door, gossiping and laughing.

 **AN:** Well, she's back... Wonder where she'll go next? We're winding down guys and I just want to say thank you to everyone that had read, you make life a lot brighter. Please, please, please review!


	36. Last Stories

"It's going to be a long engagement!" Julie insists while Rae stares at her incredulously.

"Jules, you are like what, nineteen? Matt's what, twenty or twenty one?" She demands. "You are little babies! You cannot be engaged, it makes me feel like a failure for not having a rock on my finger." She complains.

"Well…" Julie says slowly, looking at her out of the corner of her eye. "You've still got a certain ring around your neck." Rae is silent for so long Julie wonders if she's touched a raw nerve.

"I took it off once." She says suddenly. "And I felt wrong without it. I was off balance all day. It was the weirdest thing. And I was angry and upset all day. Yelled at my professor. Yelled at my boss. Yelled at Carden. He just put this thing right over my head and my world was right again. I hardly take it off. I don't know if it's because I have to have it on as habit or because I love it. I don't know and I haven't thought about it. Because every time I think about it, everything in my world goes funny and I can't see anything except a football and that damn 33 jersey and his smile and his face and I hear his laugh and him calling me baby and him telling me he loves me and him playing football with Carden in the backyard and I think that maybe I should have stayed and loved him. And you know what?" She demands of Julie who's looking at her, a little stunned.

"What?" She asks unsurely.

"I have not thought about a single man since him. I tried. I tried Jules. I got drunk, I flirted, and I dated a hockey player for god's sake! And I am so mad. So mad. Because I left my heart with some drunk in Texas. And I've wanted to come back and see him and every time I think about it I realize I don't have the words for him. I can live without him, I know that. I did it for three whole years and I was happy and I flourished and it was good. But god, I do not want to. I want him in my life, come hell or high water." She says thickly. Julie reaches across the car and grabs Rae's hand, gently squeezing it and rubbing her thumb.

"What are you going to do?" She asks quietly.

"Nothing." Rae says with a sigh. "I'm gonna go back to Duluth and watch Carden's senior year and work at my internship and get a job. You'll be in Chicago planning your wedding with Matt. And Tim will probably still be here in Dillon. What can I do? Track him down and explain to him that I am still deeply in love with him after three years of being across the country?" She rambles on until she has to take a deep breath.

"Well, sure." Julie says firmly, turning the wheel. "Let's do that."

"Wait, Jules, what are you doing?" She asks in a panic. "Where are we going? Julie Taylor!"

"Do you think that I could possibly forget the way to your house? I walked it in the dark, do you remember that? After my mom and I got in the fight about the Swede." Julie reminisces.

"I made Tim answer the door with a bat." Rae recalls fondly.

"I know you guys are neighbors. Were neighbors? Whatever. But you're talking to him." Julie says flatly.

"I just told you I don't know what to say!" Rae reminds her with a note of dread in her voice.

"Figure it out. Make a leap of faith. That's what I'm doing with Matt. Either it's going to work or it won't. Figure it out." Julie states and Rae watches in growing terror as she recognizes the houses rolling past.

"Jules, I am not ok. Can we please not do this?" She begs. "Please? Everything I said was a lie. It's a joke. I don't like him anymore. I'm actually engaged. It was a joke, please turn around."

"Shut up." Julie says briskly. "Get out. Knock on the door. Talk to Tim Riggins. And then you can get back in this car and we can go get ice cream at the Alamo Freeze and I'll tell you which girls have gotten fat and which one's have gotten pregnant." She bargains.

"At least give me alcohol with it." Rae implores and Julie points out the window of the car cheerfully.

"Worse case scenario he shoots you down. Then the ice cream is on me." Julie promises.

"The ice cream is already on you for making me do this shit." Rae grumbles, arms folded and Julie unlocks the car. Rae gets out and crosses the street. Her calm lasts until she gets to the sidewalk. Her hands tremble and her knees go weak. Her mouth is dry and her mind blank. She stares at the door then slowly raises her hand to knock three times.

"Coming!" She hears the yell from inside. There are a couple crashes and Billy Riggins pulls the door open. He stops dead in his tracks at the sight of her, his face suddenly pale.

"Hi Billy. Is Tim… Is Tim here?" She stutters, barely managing to get the words out. He nods wordlessly, opening the door. She peeks around the corner and sees Tim with a little boy on his lap. Mindy is rocking two babies in the corner and she falls silent when she sees Rae. Tim looks up from the baby and his face goes even whiter than Billy's.

"Tim, Rae's here." Billy says needlessly and Rae lifts a hand, wiggling her fingers slowly.

"Hi." She says softly. There's a long moment of silence with everyone staring at each other.

"Aren't you in college up in Minnesota?" Mindy demands loudly and Tim finally looks away from Rae to stare at Mindy.

"Well obviously she came back." He says shortly and one of the babies begins to wail. Mindy gives him a dirty look.

"Billy, come take your daughter. She's hungry, like always." Mindy orders and Billy brushes past her to grab the baby.

"Let's put them to bed, ok? Let's put them to bed and let Tim have the living room, ok?" Billy suggests.

"C'mon little man. Let's get you to bed." Tim mutters to the little boy, carrying him towards the bedroom. Rae stands in the entry, looking around and cataloging the differences. She's pondering which influences are Mindy's when Tim finally exits the bedroom.

"Hi." She repeats and he just stares at her, face unreadable. "I, uh… I'm visiting Dillon for a couple days. Thought it'd be nice to see you, just going through the checklist of all the Panthers…" She trails off when she notices Tim's face hasn't shifted even an inch. "I can go, if you want." She offers, taking a step back.

"Do you have it?" He asks suddenly, roughly.

"Have what?" She asks and he takes a step forward then halts, as though she has a force field around her.

"The… My…" He gestures to her neck and she feels the tears before they make it to her eyes. With trembling hands, she pulls the chain out from under her shirt and lifts the ring into view.

"It hasn't left my neck in a long time. I can't let it." She whispers and Tim's not looking at her but at the ring.

"Things have changed." He says, looking into her eyes and she's scared to see that his eyes lack the light they once had.

"Like what?" She asks, even though her heart is scared for the answer. He takes another step towards her.

"I went to jail." He says flatly and she reels back in shock.

"You what?" She demands and he maintains eye contact with her, unflinchingly honest.

"I tried flipping house with the boys but Jason moved to New York to be with his woman and the baby. I tried school but I couldn't do it. I only tried it for you and Billy. Came home, Billy opened a garage that turned into a chop shop. He just had the baby, little Stevie, and I took the fall. Spent almost a year in jail." He tells her and she stares at him, open-mouthed. "And that's what you've missed in the sad life of Tim Riggins in the three years that you've been gone." He sums up for her and she's speechless. "You should run now." He says, gesturing to the door with his beer before looking away.

"I'm not going to." She says firmly.

"I'm angry." He says, monotone, still not looking at her.

"You were always angry." She says and he looks up at her. "But none of those kids are yours?" She asks, pointing to the closed bedroom door. He looks over his shoulder then back at her.

"Really? Really? That's what you took out of this?" He asks, amazed. "No, all three are Billy and Mindy's."

"Oh, thank goodness." Rae says, slumping down with a sigh of relief. "I thought one might have been yours, I was concerned."

"I went to jail. I did hard time. I have a record. And that's what you got out of it?" Tim says, staring at her. Rae begins to laugh and it continues for a long while, until she's bent over and wheezing.

"I spent three years in Minnesota with you on my mind, agonizing if I could ever come back to Texas and you. I laid awake in the mornings with this damn ring and thought about sending it back but I could never, ever forget you. And I work up the nerve to see you and you suddenly announce you went to jail and I'm just happy you don't have a kid. I can work with jail. I cannot work with a baby." She proclaims and his jaw drops. She watches him warily, trying to guess what he might do.

She's not prepared for him to storm across the living room and pick her up and set her on the counter. She's not prepared for him to roughly kiss her mouth, cheeks, neck, forehead, temple, and collarbones, everywhere. She's not prepared for him to press his forehead against hers in a way that is all too familiar. And she's definitely not prepared for him to carry her to his bedroom.

"Carden?" He grunts, pressing her into the bed.

"Friends. Has a key to our hotel room." She mutters and then her eyes go wide. "Julie." She whispers in horror.

"What?" Tim asks, leaning back in confusion. Rae scrambles for her phone and puts it to her ear.

"Jules!" Rae hisses into the phone.

"Rae, calm down. I left like ten minutes go. I'm going to go get ice cream with Matt. We'll come get you in the morning." She says dismissively. Rae hangs up the phone with an open mouth as Tim tugs her shirt off.

"She knew that this would happen." She mutters and then Tim distracts her from all train of thought.

* * *

"Tim…" Rae says quietly, cuddled into his side.

"Maisie Rae, just hush." He orders and she looks up at him. "I'm enjoying having you in my arms again. Let me have the dream again for two minutes. Please. I've missed this so much."

"Come to Duluth." Rae says and he's silent. "I mean it this time. It's not a pipe dream. I have a job, a good one. Little apartment. I have a job lined up for you, a buddy of mine owns a car shop and he's always looking to take in people with records. He's a little weird like that and I know I could get you a job with him. He's a good guy and I know he wouldn't let your past be an issue if you show him how great you are. Point is, I've been thinking and planning this since two weeks into my freshman year when I missed you so much I went through two gallons of ice cream in a day." She says and his eyebrows shoot up.

"Where'd all that ice cream go?" He asks, inspecting her bare torso. "Two gallons? Really?"

"Don't make fun. It was a dark time." She protests as he covers her with kisses. "Point is, I know you said that you would never leave Texas. Texas forever, that's the Tim Riggins way. But I cannot and I will not leave this godforsaken place one more time without you." She announces and he's quiet. She bites her lip then pulls out the big guns. "Carden misses you too. Never shuts up about you. I think he's gonna play fullback this year."

"Has he got the size for it?" Tim questions and she sits up, kissing his forehead, taking his hand.

"Come and see. Come and see him." She requests softly and he exhales then nods and gets up. Rae leads him by the hand into the hotel, glancing over her shoulder and smiling. Tim just looks uneasy, wary about how Carden is going to react after not seeing him for three years. Carden looks up from the table with his breakfast and his eyes go wide.

Then he's pushing tables aside and he runs into Tim's arms like an excited seventh grader all over again. Tim holds tight to him, looking at Rae in disbelief, as Carden is nearly as tall as him. Rae just covers her smile with her hand.

* * *

"Hello Greyhound hockey fans and welcome to Parent's Night. We want to honor all the wonderful parents who have made our boys who they are today. Beginning with our starting left wing and captain, senior Carden Brooks, escorted by his sister Rae Brooks and future brother in law, Tim Riggins!" The announcer booms and Rae and Tim, hand in hand, stride across the ice. Carden greets them halfway with a rose and a tight hug. "Next year Carden plans on attending UMD to major in finance and he will play hockey for them."

"I am so proud of you." Rae whispers and Carden hugs her again.

"Thank you." He says and it's not just for Rae but Tim as well. Tim pulls him into a rough hug and Rae joins them in their little family, happy to be in the arms of her two boys.

 **AN:** Wow... Well, this is the end. Thank you for reading it, for reviewing and favoriting and following and being the most amazing bunch of readers. I can't even begin to say how great it was to have you guys read my story. There aren't any words to express how grateful I am for you! I hope you liked it. Thank you thank you thank you.


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